Finding Our Way
by ADI2DE
Summary: Starts where S4 leaves off (ignores the S5 premiere). Sam lives, but suffers from severe memory loss. Forbidden from speaking of the past, Andy is forced to make a difficult decision. Can she find a future with Nick, or will Sam find his way back to her before it's too late?
1. Stranger

**Welcome to "Find Our Way", one of twenty Rookie Blue FanFiction stories that I'm in the process of writing/completing. This is one of two stories that starts off where season 4 ends. I know season 5 has started, so most of us know what happens in episode 1, but I started writing this back in September and decided to leave it as is... Hope you enjoy it!**

**Please note: I do not own Rookie Blue.**

Andy grabbed her coffee and walked back towards Sam's room, coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other. "No sir, he hasn't woken up yet, but the doctors have been monitoring him and so far everything looks okay."

"Keep me posted, okay McNally?" said Sergeant Best into the phone.

"Yup," said Andy, hanging up as she rounded the corner and stepped into the room. A gasp escaped her when she realized that Sam's eyes were open. She'd only been gone for a few minutes. "Uh, hey," she said, her voice a little higher than normal, which only made her face turn a darker shade of red than it had been upon seeing him awake.

His head slowly turned towards her and a frown formed on his face. "Are you here to take my statement?" he asked slowly, his voice cracking slightly.

She stared at him, initially thinking he was joking, but his face showed no signs of humour. "Your statement?" she breathed, her face falling as she met his eyes. She blinked hard. There had to be a mistake. He had to be joking. Yet, the only time she'd seen that look in his eyes was four years ago when she first started at 15, when Sam had been undercover and she'd barged into the room and chased him down. It was like he was looking at a complete stranger. As it hit her, the cup of coffee slipped through her fingers, falling to the floor and splashing up her legs.

"McNally," said Oliver stepping into the room. He stopped at the sight of the coffee and said, "Whoa, you alright there?" When Andy didn't answer, he followed her gaze. "Sammy, you're awake."

"Good to see you," said Sam, smiling slightly, though his eyes didn't stray too far from the woman who still stood near the door.

Oliver smiled. "Well, I'll leave you two alone—"

"I've gotta go," Andy blurted out, spinning on her heel and leaving the room without another word.

Oliver turned back to Sam. "What just happened?" Oliver asked, his head swiveling from the door, to his friend, and back again.

"I have no idea," said Sam, shrugging. "She just came in here, and I asked her if she was here to take my statement, and she just dropped her coffee and stared at me."

"You're such a knucklehead. Why would you ask her that?" asked Oliver, chuckling.

Sam frowned. "What else was I supposed to say? She just came in here unannounced, didn't really say anything, and just stood there staring at me. She could have at least said who she was."

Oliver's jaw dropped, his eyes practically popping out of his skull as he frantically shook his head. "No, no, no, no," he said, his hands flying to his face. "Sammy, please tell me you're joking? Please tell me you know who that was?"

Sam stared at him blankly, not really understanding why his friend was so upset. Actually, upset was an understatement. He'd never seen Oliver lose his cool like this before. "Should I?"

Oliver collapsed in one of the hard, plastic chairs beside the bed, head in his hands as he struggled to regain his composure. Leaning back, however, he realized Andy's coat was still there. Jumping to his feet, he said, "Just give me a minute. I have to talk to her, give her back her coat. I'll send a doctor to check on you and be back in a bit, okay?"

Sam nodded, though he was frowning. "Yeah buddy, but before you go though, who is she?"

Oliver hesitated. "Andy McNally," he said, and without another word he was gone.

"Andy," said Oliver, finding her down the hallway and just around the corner, waiting for the elevator. She was bent over, her hands on her knees as she tried to keep herself standing.

She took a few deep breaths and pushed herself into an upright position, tears streaming down her cheeks as she turned to look at Oliver. She shook her head. "He doesn't even know who I am."

Oliver took her up in a big hug. "It will come back to him," said Oliver softly. "He just woke up, it takes time." At least that was what he was hoping.

Andy pulled away, shaking her head again. "He knew exactly who you were, but he just stared at me as if he'd never seen me before... How could he forget about me after everything we've gone through? Just erased me like I was nothing. Meant nothing."

Oliver reached to pull her into another hug, but she stepped back. "No," she said. "I can't be here anymore. I can't be here like this… Do this… I have to go."

As she said those words Oliver could see her last bit of strength shatter. Any hope she had was gone. She looked completely broken. "Andy," he tried again, but she was already running down the hall, abandoning the elevator completely.

By the time Oliver got back to the room, the doctors were wheeling Sam out on a rollaway bed.

"We're just going to take him to run some tests and see how extensive the damage is," said the doctor.

When they returned half an hour later, the doctor signaled for Oliver to step outside with him.

"It looks like between the trauma suffered from the gunshot wound and from hitting his head off the floor, Detective Swarek has sustained temporary memory loss. I'm not sure how extensive it is, but based on what he's told me, it sounds like at least four years and a half years back."

Oliver nodded. "So what can we do?"

The doctor shook his head. "Unfortunately there really isn't much you can do other than provide support. It's going to be really confusing for him and really frustrating at times, but in cases like this, we recommend that patients remember things on their own. We don't want to overload him with too much information, so for healing purposes we prefer to have patients remember at their own pace."

Oliver nodded, though what he really wanted to do was slap Sam in the face and tell him he had to win McNally back before it was too late. The second he learned Andy had jumped in the ambulance with Sam and had been with him while they prepped him for surgery, Oliver knew that he'd been right all along. Sam and Andy weren't finished, but now that Sam couldn't remember the love of his life and Oliver couldn't even help him remember, things were not looking good for them.

When the doctor left, Oliver returned to the room, dread filling every inch of his body as he looked across the room at his friend.

Still, he hesitated. "Sammy, if you asked the woman if she was here for your statement, does that mean you remember why you're here?"

Sam shook his head. "No, but it seems I've been shot, so it would make sense for someone to take my statement, right?"

Oliver nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, buddy."

"Okay," Sam said slowly. "So what happened, and if she wasn't here to take my statement, why was she here?"

"Doc said I can't tell you," said Oliver after a long moment. "I wish I could. Believe me, there are a lot of things I'd like to tell you right about now, a lot of things you need to know and remember, but the doc said you need to remember on your own time... If you remember."

"So you won't tell me anything?" said Sam, frowning. He could tell Oliver was burning to tell him something. "Not even a hint?"

Oliver exhaled deeply. "Brother, I wish I could tell you, I really do, but even if they let me, I'm not the one for that. The whole situation was screwed up… I wasn't even there. I was taken, 15 Division was attacked, and I woke up here with a concussion. I really only know what others told me, and I didn't even know you were here until they released me. And aside from that, I think the only things I can really tell you, which you'll find out anyway once you're back at work, are that you became a detective, and there are a lot of new faces around the office… well, new for you."

"And that woman is one of them?"

Oliver nodded. "She was your rookie."

Sam nodded. That would explain why she looked so upset, yet her reaction still disturbed him. "Was?"

Oliver hesitated. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh, talking to Boyd about some undercover operation," said Sam, rubbing his forehead.

"What case?"

"Anton Hill."

Oliver sighed. "She started when that op ended. That was four years ago."

Sam stared at him, his eyes wide. "What?"

"Sorry bud, but I don't know what else to tell you," said Oliver. "Like I said, I _really_ want to help you, but the doc said you have to remember on your own."


	2. Consequences of Our Actions

**Welcome back! Thanks for your reviews and follows. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts as we go along! **

**Recap: Sam wakes up and Andy learns that he has no recollection of her. Oliver discovers that Sam's memory loss extends back to the months leading up to the Anton Hill UC so he doesn't even remember the op itself. Andy's feeling more than a little uncertain about how to deal with things and ends up leaving the hospital.**

"Are you ready for this?"

Andy looked up at Luke and shook her head. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it was going to burst through her chest.

"Just focus, okay? Stick to the facts," Luke said. His tone reminded her of the way he'd spoken the night a perp had stolen underwear from a woman's house. It was very formal, calm… but it made her feel stupid.

She stared at the floor, fiddling with the wristband of her watch. The facts weren't simple. Nothing was simple.

"But don't mention the log book," Luke added. "Frank didn't notice anything was off, and I'm the only other person who saw it."

Her mouth fell open slightly. "How…?"

"We found Marlo's prints on Ford's laptop, so we checked the log book to confirm that she'd been there. I recognized your writing right way, but Frank didn't give it a second glance," Luke explained. "So chances are, they know nothing about it, and if you want to have any chance of keeping your job, you'll keep quiet about it."

Andy nodded slowly, taking deep steadying breaths to try to calm her nerves.

"You know you're going to have to bring Swarek into this, right?"

When Andy remained silent, Luke grabbed her shoulders. "Andy, he was involved."

"You don't know what happened." She raised her eyes to look into his.

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "Look, you need to keep it as close to the truth as possible, but with Marlo being off her meds, there's only so much weight her testimony will have. Swarek doesn't remember anything, and Collins and I have limited information."

"I know," Andy replied quietly. "And all either of you know is that Sam was with me when we went to get Marlo." That was a bit of a lie. She'd told Nick a bit because she'd been overwhelmed, but she knew that if he was dragged into this, he would back her up.

Luke frowned. "Andy." He paused and sighed – it was already becoming quite clear that she wasn't going to back down. "Look, they're going to come at you hard and fast. What happened is big. Give them the facts, and bring Swarek into it. He doesn't remember, so bend the truth. You put it on him and they'll go easier on both of you."

Andy shook her head.

"They're going to try to take you down for this. You have to put it on him," Luke said, his volume rising.

"You know what Luke?" she said, a dry laugh escaping her. "When Sam and I were suspended after the Brennan case, I told the white shirts about how dedicated I was to my job and how determined I was to be a good cop… how I'd stick to the rules. And do you know what Sam said?" She paused, but didn't let him answer. "He didn't say any of that. He told me that all I wanted was to be a cop, and that all he wanted was me."

"Andy, that was a long time ago. He doesn't even remember you now," Luke said. "And it's different this time. You didn't just blow an op. Your actions contributed to three officers being put in the hospital, two of whom were in critical condition… and one still is."

"Yeah, I know," said Andy, sighing. "You don't think that's been on my mind, especially when I try to sleep at night? It makes me feel sick, but I can't go back and change things. That was on me. I know that."

Luke ran a hand over his mouth. "You have to do this. You _have_ to bring Swarek into it."

Andy shook her head again. "I backed you up on the Zoe Martinelli case, even after you cheated on me. And you know what? Everyone thought I was crazy. Sam was furious. And I didn't even owe you anything. As a cop, it was my job though, and as a person, I knew your instincts were generally right, so even after everything, I put that aside and I backed you up and proved you were right when nobody else would." She paused. "Look, I don't expect you to lie for me, but maybe just support me a little bit here because I think you owe me at least that much. So if I say that Sam had no idea about Marlo's medical history until we were all in her basement, then I'm really hoping you don't say anything that will go against me."

"Andy," Luke warned.

"No, Luke, it's my decision. I already screwed up. And I know he doesn't remember me, and maybe he never will, but after everything he's done for me, I owe him this." She held up her hand when Luke tried to interrupt. "I'm not doing this because I love him. I'm doing this because as a cop and as a person, I respect him, and he doesn't deserve this. He deserves better. And if I lose my job…" Again she paused, a lump forming in her throat as she thought about potentially losing the job that she loved so much. "… then I guess I understand what he said back then. And even though I can't have him, I can at least do this for him."

Before Luke could say a word, she moved passed him and entered the large room where her future as a cop would be determined. She was so focused at this point that she didn't notice the dark-haired, brown-eyed woman leaning up against the opposite wall, listening to every word she said.

* * *

"So what happened with the trial?" Sam asked.

Oliver shifted uncomfortably. He'd actually been blown away by what Andy had done. She wasn't exactly the most accomplished liar, but she'd been focused and proven herself an adequate one when she stood in front of the white shirts and denied Sam's involvement in anything that could be considered incriminating. Not that Oliver really knew what happened, but he'd spoken to Andy a little when Sam was still unconscious, and he'd gotten a pretty good idea about what happened and just how many rules both of them had broken. "Uh, well, they wrapped up a lot of things," said Oliver. "And uh, someone was fired. You won't remember her though… And McNally was suspended for a month with two months probation on desk duty, but—"

"That's my rookie, right?"

Oliver nodded slowly.

"How was she involved?" asked Sam, then after another moment, "Was I involved?"

"I've already said too much pal," said Oliver, shifting in his chair. Seeing that Sam wasn't about to let up, he added, "Look, I can't really go into details, but the guy who did all of this, he's dead, but umm, a neighbour beat him up awhile ago. It triggered something and this guy became really aggressive… A cop in our division rubbed him the wrong way and the guy created a hit list with officers from our division on it." Oliver hesitated. "This cop has… a medical condition, and she wasn't in the right frame of mind. McNally tried to protect her, but things got out of hand, and unfortunately the trial was just as messy."

"But—"

Oliver held up a hand to silence his friend. "McNally's really lucky she's not being fired too – she held her own though and the neighbour and the other cop took the fall. She took it pretty hard that she couldn't protect the other cop anymore, but nobody could."

"Where is she? Can I at least talk to her?"

"Yeah, uh, about that… she left buddy," said Oliver. "As soon as she was suspended, she took off… likely won't be back 'til the suspension is over."

Sam frowned. "Where did she go?"

"Didn't say," replied Oliver. "No doubt as far away from this as possible. She's had a rough time. A _really_ rough time. But I wish she'd stayed to…" He shook his head, cutting himself off before he said something he shouldn't. "I understand why she left."

Sam nodded, though he had absolutely no idea why she was having a rough time.

"So you won't even tell me what she said during the trial?"

Oliver shook his head. "Can't. I've already said too much."

* * *

_1 month later…_

"McNally," said Frank.

Andy turned back and walked towards Frank.

"It's good to have you back," he said.

Andy merely nodded. She still had two months of desk duty before she could really consider herself to be back.

"Listen, umm, Sam is going to be coming back in a few days for light duty and… well, the thing is, the doctors are still restricting us from telling him anything. They want him to remember things on his own." Frank paused, studying her closely. "They've determined he doesn't remember anything since the months leading up to the Anton Hill U.C he was on, so anything after that point is completely new to him."

"I understand sir," said Andy.

"I know it won't be easy for you—"

"Sir, I'm fine," said Andy, her tone a little sharper than she would have liked. It had taken a month for her to pull herself back together. Even now she wasn't completely normal, but she'd come to terms with the fact that Sam didn't remember her at all and there really wasn't anything she could do about it. With that in mind, she'd also thought a lot about where to go with her life. Sam not remembering her drastically changed things. She meant it when she told Sam she loved him in the ambulance, but as it currently stood, there was no guarantee that he would ever remember her or that he could ever feel the same way about her again. Part of her wanted to try, but she was scared. What she had with Nick was good. He made her happy. He wasn't Sam, but Nick was a great guy and they were good together. Perhaps Sam not remembering her was a sign that she should give things with Nick a real shot.

Frank studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, but let me know if you need anything."

Andy nodded and left without another word. As she walked towards the front desk, she sighed heavily, knowing that regardless of which path she chose, her heart would break.

**Thanks for reading! Up next, Sam returns to 15 Division and Andy learns very quickly that when it comes to Sam Swarek, not all things change, even when starting over. So what happens when Sam meets Andy again? **


	3. Meeting Sam Swarek Again

**Welcome back! Thanks for your reviews and follows, I really appreciate it. I enjoy reading your reviews, so please keep it up! Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Recap: Sam wakes up and Andy learns that he doesn't remember her, at all. At the trial, Andy keeps Sam out of the whole affair and ends up being suspended for one month and put on probation and desk duty for two months. When Andy returns to work, Frank notifies her that Sam will be returning in a few days.**

When Andy walked into the parade room and saw Sam in a deep discussion with Oliver, her breath caught in the back of her throat. He looked a little tired, but good, _really_ good. But she shouldn't be thinking about that. She forced her eyes downward, found a seat, and stared at the front until Nick came in and sat next to her. She felt terrible. Once she found out she was suspended, she just took off without really telling anyone, not even Nick, so she still hadn't spoken to him about where they stood. She knew it wasn't fair, but after opening up to Sam in the ambulance and then finding out he didn't remember her, she just really needed some time and space to figure things out. Withholding a sigh, she made a promise to herself that she'd speak to Nick within the next couple of days.

Realizing Nick was watching her, she gave him a small smile, then turned back to face the front where Frank now stood. Her attention shifted slightly when she sensed eyes on her. It was that same feeling that she'd had for four years, though less so this past year. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to keep her eyes on Frank. A sharp jab to her arm had her turning to look at Chris. "What?" she hissed.

"Are you sure Swarek doesn't remember you?" Chris whispered. "That look is pretty intense."

With a small sigh she glanced over her left shoulder towards the corner of the room. She met Sam's eyes briefly before her head snapped back to the front, still feeling the heat of his gaze on the back of her head. She could feel Nick's eyes on her once more, so she gave him another small smile.

"Is there something you'd like to share with everyone Diaz?" Frank said.

"Uhhh…" began Chris but a sharp elbow to his side had him saying, "No… No sir, nothing."

Frank's eyes slid over to Andy where they lingered for a moment before flicking in Sam's direction.

Andy held Frank's gaze, her lips pressed together, biting back a sigh of relief when he looked away. The second that assignments were announced and everyone was dismissed, she got to her feet and hurried out of the room.

Glancing to the side, she couldn't help but groan when she realized Sam was next to her, looking down at her with the same piercing gaze he'd had in parade. Her step faltered, but she forced herself to keep walking, her eyes on her destination. She'd known avoiding Sam was going to be difficult, but she hadn't exactly expected him to be staring at her again or to seek her out on his own. It was never going to be easy, she knew that from the start, but she didn't expect it to be this hard so soon.

"Uh, I think we got off on the wrong foot," said Sam, frowning at his rookie's reaction to seeing him beside her.

"Nope, it's fine," she said, trying to shake him off.

"I'm guessing someone explained the… situation?" he said.

"Yup," Andy replied. "Got it loud and clear." Oops. She hadn't meant for the last part to come out.

He followed her out to the front, except instead of walking behind the desk, he went through the doors to stand on the other side of the counter.

"So… I'm Sam Swarek," he said hesitantly, holding out a hand.

Andy sat in one of the chairs at the front, staring at his hand for a brief second. When her eyes flicked up to his face, she snapped her head to the side and rather abruptly snatched the file out of Chris' hands. In one swift movement, she flipped it open and starting going through the pages. "Yeah, uh, I'm Andy McNally." She kept her eyes focused on the file.

Again he frowned, letting his hand drop. What was her problem? He tried again, "So, you were my rookie?"

"Yup," said Andy, still not looking at him.

"And you're on desk duty and probation because?" Sam pressed. He knew a few details because of Oliver, but he was hoping to fill in some of the blanks.

Her eyes flicked up to his face again. "Can't help you there."

"So what, you've never broken any rules?" he asked, doubtful. He was certain that any rookie he had would probably have broken some rules while training under him.

Her jaw dropped slightly, causing him to smile. That answered one thing. She most definitely did break some rules.

"So do—"

"So I have a lot of work to do," she said, cutting his next question off. "That's Chris Diaz, so if you need something you can ask him."

Sam turned to look at Chris, whose mouth was hanging wide open, clearly shocked by her behaviour. "She isn't usually like this, is she?" Sam asked Chris.

Chris shook his head, shaking Sam's outstretched hand.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Chris hesitated.

"Chris," Andy warned, without looking at either of them.

"Come on Diaz, this is between you and me," said Sam.

"I… I can't," said Chris. "I'm sorry, but it's the rule."

"You clearly weren't one of my rookies."

Chris shook his head and Sam couldn't help but chuckle.

The phone rang.

Andy glanced up and seeing that Sam was about to ask another question, she said, "Chris, that's yours."

As Chris picked up the phone, Sam turned to look at her – she met his gaze with an even stare, daring him to say another word. Instead, he broke out into a small smile and raised his hands in defeat before turning to the door. When he reached it, he turned back and said, "Uh…"

A small smile touched Andy's lips as she withheld a laugh at Sam being locked outside of the main part of the station. She hit the button. "Next time Officer Swarek, you might want to double check that you have your key pass on you."

When Sam had passed through the doors and was headed up to his office space, Chris hung up the phone and turned to Andy. "Was that really necessary?"

Andy frowned. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. "Do you know how hard it is to be around him and not be able to tell him _anything_? You think _I_ want this? I don't. But this is how it has to be. I can't make him remember me, so it has to be like this if I ever want to have some semblance of a life."

* * *

"What did I do to my rookie?" asked Sam, looking up from the file he had open on his desk.

Traci looked over at her partner. "What makes you think you did something?"

"I was just talking to her… well, trying really," said Sam, "And I just sensed that I did something to her. She wouldn't shake my hand, hardly looked at me. Even the rookie beside her seemed surprised."

Traci looked uncomfortable. "Umm well, Andy's just… Andy. It's a tough situation for all of us, and this is just how she's choosing to react. It's not ideal, but don't take it personally."

"But she seemed a little hostile?" he said, not really sure if hostile was the right word.

"Andy?" said Traci in disbelief. "She's really quite sweet actually, a bit of a softy, except for when she's chasing down criminals."

Sam frowned. Chasing down criminals. Of course she'd chase down criminals, she was a cop, but why did he feel like there was more to it than that?

Traci could tell Sam was thinking hard. Had she said too much? "Forget about it. It's going to take a lot longer than a day to solve the mystery of Andy McNally," said Traci, laughing a little. "Besides, we have a case to solve."

Sam nodded, then thought of something else. "Nash, what happened to Jerry?"

Traci took a deep breath and let out a whistle. She knew this would come sooner or later, and even having started a new relationship, it was still hard for her. "Sam, I wish I could tell you, I really do, but the only reason Frank told you was because he knew you'd realize pretty quickly that something was off when you didn't see Jerry in the hospital or here."

Sam sighed, another question left unanswered. _Story of my life_, Sam thought to himself. Oliver gave him minimal details about certain things and everyone else seemed to just shake him off. Looking out the windows in the office, he watched as Andy walked into the bullpen and engaged another officer in a brief conversation. Her behaviour towards him was odd, but perhaps he could get her to talk – she was after all his rookie, so she should know him pretty well. It might be worth a shot anyway if it meant he could get some answers. Now he just had to figure out how to get her to talk.

**Thanks for reading! Next up, Andy cracks and gives Sam a brief lowdown of what's going with some of the officers at 15 Division. And, Sam can't shake the feeling that something's off with Andy. **


	4. The Lowdown

**Welcome back! Thanks for the reviews and follows, and for reading this story. I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think! **

**As requested, this chapter is a little longer than the others. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Recap: Sam wakes up in the hospital to find 4+ years of his life erased from his memory. Andy struggles to deal with the realization that Sam may never remember her. Nevertheless, during the trial for the Kevin Ford case, she keeps Sam's involvement out it. When Sam returns to 15 Division and tries to reintroduce himself to Andy and apologize to her, he winds up even more confused by her behaviour towards him, which he describes as somewhat hostile.**

Her head was bent low when her nostrils were suddenly invaded by the smell of coffee, dulled down only by what she suspected was sugar and cream. Looking up, she struggled to hold back a groan as Sam came into view, holding a cup out to her. "For yesterday," he said.

She hesitated, then took the coffee, taking a sip to show she accepted it as a peace offering, but hoping he'd go away right after. Every time he came near her, she found her heartbeat quickening and her palms getting sweaty. When he got this close, so close she could smell him, her head swam. She felt like she was right back where she was after coming home from her UC with Nick, when she was a blabbering idiot every time she saw Sam, yet fully conscious that he was no longer hers. She'd struggled not to be that person again, but Sam was proving relentless and the more he sought her out, the harder it became to ignore him. Setting the cup down she turned back to the file in front of her, but seconds later her head snapped back to the cup and then up to Sam.

Sensing her confusion, Sam said, "Traci told me how you take your coffee."

Andy nodded, but said nothing, wondering why he wouldn't just leave.

He hesitated. Considering he was bringing her the coffee to make up for whatever had happened yesterday, he knew he should keep his mouth shut, but something had been nagging at him since he'd spoken to Nash yesterday. "Were you with me when Jerry died?"

Andy, who had taken another sip of coffee, spit it out, swearing as she reached for something to clean up the mess. She didn't look at Sam until it was completely cleaned up, but he seemed content just waiting, which left her puzzled. Sam wasn't exactly the most patient guy when it came to a lot of things, but here he was waiting for her. Still she hesitated. She could see the pleading look in his eyes, but she knew she wasn't supposed to tell him anything. However, it was clear that he'd already started putting things together based on what others had already told him. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes. "Yes."

Sam's eyes widened upon finally receiving some sort of answer.

"Did he—" began Sam, but he fell silent. He could tell she was already struggling with something, but he needed to know, and she'd already answered one of his questions. She might be his best chance at discovering what happened in those years he had no recollection of, especially since she was his rookie and would have spent quite a bit of time with him as a result.

Andy abruptly stood up.

"McNally," the officer beside her warned.

She looked over at him, conflicted.

"Don't," the officer said.

Andy bit down on her lower lip, considering the warning for a brief moment before vanishing through the doors and reappearing on the same side of the desk as Sam. She gestured for him to follow her over to the far side of the hall where the main doors were. As her hand curled around the door handle, she paused. She could get in a lot of trouble for this, and that was exactly what she needed to avoid right now, but it was Sam and she knew him. She knew he needed this. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open and they both stepped through so that they were in between the inner and outer sets of doors.

Sam watched as she turned away from him, wondering if she'd changed her mind. He couldn't blame her if she did though.

Taking another deep breath, she turned back to face him. "Look, I don't know who told you about Jerry or what you were told, but you need to stop asking people about it," she said. "15 Division was pretty messed up after it happened, and we're still trying to get over it."

"Then tell me what happened and I'll stop asking," said Sam.

She shook her head. "I can't tell you. I'm already on probation, and with the doctors and Frank telling everyone to keep quiet, telling you would be the final axe." She fell silent for a moment, biting her lip as she studied his face. "What happened though, it was bad, _really_ bad, and not just because of Jerry," she said. "Just trust me on this, you're better off if that's one of the things you never remember."

She turned away again, rubbing her face as she tried to figure out how much to tell him and what to tell him. It was a long moment before she turned back. Again, he was waiting patiently, no doubt not wanting to push his luck. Crossing her arms, she leaned up against the wall. "Okay, look, I'm not going to give you specifics, but there are some basic things you should know that might make it a little easier and a little less awkward for you…"

He nodded. At this point, he'd take anything.

"So umm, I guess I'll start with Traci. She was Jerry's fiancé, and you were going to be his best man." She hesitated. "Have you seen a pocket watch around?"

Sam nodded.

"Jerry gave that to you. It was for agreeing to be his best man. You carried it around everywhere after… after he died." She shook her head, focusing back on Traci. "Anyway, umm, so Traci's starting up a relationship with Steve Peck, who I think you know from before everything?"

Sam nodded.

"Okay, good," she said. "Well, umm, it's pretty new, but it's good for her. She needs it, but I don't think she's fully gotten over Jerry, so unless she brings him up, I'd advise you to stop asking questions about him…" She paused, then continued. "Next up, Noelle and Frank. They're married now. And uh, Frank's brother wasn't able to make it back in time for the wedding so you stood in as the best man—"

"Wait, so Jerry was engaged and going to get married? And Frank and Noelle hooked up, got engaged, got married, and I ended up being Frank's best man?"

"Yeah, so you don't like weddings, whatever, you were doing them a favour…" She waved her hand in the air. "Anyway we don't have all day, so… Frank and Noelle have a baby girl, which is why Noelle is currently M.I.A – she's been taking care of their daughter." Again she paused. "You're not an idiot, so you'll probably figure out pretty quickly that Frank is hesitant to say how Noelle is… don't question him about it."

Sam stared at the woman in disbelief. Had his rookie always been this outspoken?

Andy held up a hand to prevent him from speaking – she could practically see the questions burning on his lips. The thought of his lips had her mind wandering to places it shouldn't be, to the nights when she'd felt his lips on her. She blinked hard, struggling to keep the blush from creeping into her cheeks. Coughing nervously, she forced herself to continue her explanation. "She had a cancer scare. Frank says the test came back negative, but Oliver and I, and probably some of the others aren't so sure. Don't ask him about it though – that's what they're saying for now, so that's their own business, got it?"

He nodded, still wondering who the hell this woman was to talk to him like that. Most of the other officers were intimidated by him.

"You've met Chris. There's also the Ice Queen: Gail Peck, obviously Elaine Peck's daughter and Steve Peck's sister. She's uh, slowly coming out and trying to figure things out with Holly, so go easy on her, she's going to have a hard enough time telling her parents… Go easy on Dov Epstein as well. He hasn't been back in to work yet, but when he is, be nice. He's been through a lot recently. And uh, he was dating Chloe Price, the one who was just released from the hospital with the gunshot wound to the neck." She paused, trying to swallow the lump in her throat at the memory. "But anyway, when she was in the hospital, we found out that she has a husband. Not even Frank knew about the guy and Chloe is his god-daughter, so things have been pretty messed up around here."

"And why do I need to know all of this?" asked Sam, confused. "How is this going to help?"

Andy sighed. "You just got back, found out you're a detective. It's a pretty big change, and no doubt you're in for a rough time, so before you go and take it out on anyone, you should probably know that a lot of the people here are going through a rough time right now, so just lay off a little, okay?"

Sam frowned. He had to admit that chewing out a rookie was something he'd likely do on a bad day. Maybe he'd had a lot of rough days while he was this woman's T.O – maybe that was why she seemed so hostile towards him, yet that didn't explain why she was telling him all of this now. If he was so hard on her, then would she really help him?

"Got it?" Andy repeated with a little more force.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" she asked, but before he could respond, she added, "You chew me out, and I'll dish it right back to you."

His eyes widened. "Traci said you're actually pretty sweet."

Andy hesitated. "Don't believe everything everyone tells you."

"She seems like a good judge of character to me," said Sam.

"From what, the two seconds you've known her?"

"Well, if she was going to marry Jerry, then I'd say she must have been a decent judge of character," Sam replied.

Andy stared at him for a moment, then lowered her gaze and moved to open the inner set of doors, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. Her reaction was instantaneous – she snapped her arm away from him and stepped back several feet.

When she looked up at him he had a strange expression on his face. "Andy," he said.

She shook her head. "At work you always called me McNally."

"McNally," he tried again. He hesitated. He wasn't sure if it was the contradiction between her words and actions and what he'd heard others say about her that made her so interesting, but there was definitely something about her that made him curious. After a moment he said, "Oliver told me you started when my undercover operation ended?"

"Yeah," said Andy.

"Were you the reason it ended?" he asked slowly, keeping his eyes on her face as he tried to gauge her reaction. He remembered a flash of something, seeing her standing in a doorway, pointing her gun at him and then chasing him down an alley. There were a few small things attached, but nothing substantial.

Andy covered her hands in her face. "You need to stop asking questions."

"You were, weren't you?" he said, blocking the set of doors.

"Yeah, I was," she snapped. "I made a rookie mistake and it blew your entire operation, something you never stopped bugging me about, so I'm so glad you've figured that out."

He looked taken aback for a moment, but then he started analyzing what she'd said. Did he bug her in a good way or bad way? Based on the way she was behaving towards him now it seemed like he must have been a real jerk to her, yet the way Chris reacted the day before suggested perhaps she wasn't normally like this and that they actually got along well. Maybe he had bugged her jokingly. And maybe they got along well, but she was upset because he couldn't remember her. He went back further, thinking about what she'd said as soon as they stepped between the doors. "What did you mean when you said that at work I always called you McNally?"

"Exactly what I said," she replied.

"So at work I called you McNally?"

"Yes," she said impatiently. "Can I get back to work now?"

"So if I called you McNally at work, did I call you something else outside of work?" asked Sam slowly, his eyes still trained on her face. "Did I see you outside of work?"

Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth opened, but she quickly snapped it shut and averted her gaze. "I meant that you called me McNally, not Andy."

"But that's not what you said. I asked you several times and that's not what you told me," said Sam, frowning. She was clearly hiding something. Were they friends? If so, why would she need to hide it? Did something happen between them? He pushed the thought aside – that was ridiculous. Sure she was beautiful and she seemed to have a firey side that appealed to him, but he would never do anything with a rookie of his. While he had a tendency to break rules, breaking one of the major rules just to sleep with a rookie wasn't one he'd even consider.

"That's what I meant," she said, trying to keep her tone even.

"Were we friends?"

Andy shifted slightly, reaching out to grab the door handle. "I have to get back to work," she said.

"It's a simple question," said Sam, frowning.

She shook her head, making his frown deepen.

"So we didn't get along?"

Again she shook her head. "Just drop it," Andy said. "You need to stop asking questions about the past." When he opened his mouth again she said, "No. Stop living in the past and start living now or you're going to drive yourself and everyone else crazy. I get that you want to know what's happened in the last four years, but you're not helping yourself and you're making this _really_ hard." She tried to push him away from the door slightly, but he reached out and grabbed her shoulders. He could feel her trembling slightly under his grip.

"Andy…" he began, then paused. "McNally, I'm sorry—"

"Alright Swarek, leave the poor girl alone," said Traci, opening the door.

Seeing an opportunity to escape Andy squeezed through and vanished.

Sam turned to look at Traci. "Is it true that I was never friends with her? Was she just my rookie?"

Traci sighed. "Andy was never just your rookie. You tried to be friends, but it never really worked."

"Why—"

"Sam, you can't just box her in like that and demand answers. I know it's hard on you, but you can't do it, okay?"

He glanced down the hallway. Andy still hadn't returned to the front desk – he suspected she'd hold off returning for as long as possible just to make sure he was gone. "It's hard not being able to remember."

"It will come back," said Traci, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her hand for a moment, and frowned. Why did it feel so different when Traci touched him from when he'd touched Andy?

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think so far. Up next, after trying to keep some distance from both men, Andy finally makes a big decision regarding her love life, but whom will she choose? Hope you'll join me for the next chapter!**


	5. Moving On

**Welcome back! Thanks again for the reviews and follows – I loved reading all of them, whether you loved what you read or you'd like to slap some sense into Andy. Now, I really don't like giving away too much about any story, but I feel like in this instance, letting you know what to expect is sort of necessary so that nobody feels betrayed/misled. That said, I made a rather large note below. PLEASE read the entire note before reading the chapter.**

**PLEASE NOTE: Alright, so before you read this chapter, I'd like to make something very clear. I really have no idea how many McSwarek shippers are reading this compared to McCollins shippers, but based on reviews, there definitely seem to be more Sam and Andy supporters. That said, please keep what I'm writing here in mind as you read this chapter because as a fellow McSwarek shipper, we're in for a bumpy ride. So, if we're in the same ship, the first part of this chapter is going to feel like a slap to the face and you're probably going to want to knock some sense into Andy. Don't give up though; Sam certainly still feels hopeful at the end of the chapter. So, regardless of what happens at the beginning of this chapter, consider Nick a roadblock, not a permanent fixture in Andy's life. Yes, Nick is a great guy (or can be), but Andy's already struggling and if Sam gets his memory back, can she really resist him? If you're a McCollins shipper, you ****_may_ still enjoy parts of this story, but for the McSwarek shippers, just know that no matter what happens, our ship hasn't sunk and although the road might be bumpy (I'll try to make it as painless as possible, and you'll see that), I think you'll find the ending satisfying and well worth the ride. This is, after all, a McSwarek story. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to PM me, but McSwarek shippers, hang in there. Good things come to those who wait, I promise.**

**Recap: Sam struggles to find his place at 15 Division and remember the 4+ years of his memory that he lost. Despite Andy's confession in the ambulance, she realizes that Sam may never remember her or ever come to love her again. As she struggles to figure out her love life, she tries to keep both men at a distance. Unfortunately for her, Sam's set on getting her to talk, winding up with an overview of those he's closest with at 15 and a sense that there's a lot more to his rookie than anyone is letting on. **

"Hey," said Andy, biting her lip and staring at her feet as Nick opened the door to his place.

"Hey," he replied, standing aside to let her in. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she said, stepping through the doorway. "You?"

"Okay," he replied. "Why are you here?"

Her mouth fell open slightly. Nick had every right to be upset with her – she'd taken off for an entire month without saying anything to him and even when she got back, she'd largely been avoiding him. Still, his tone had caught her off guard. "I… I have something I need to say to you," she said quietly.

"Yeah, fine, take off your shoes," Nick said before leading her over to the couch. He waited patiently for her to begin, noting how tense and awkward she suddenly looked.

"Nick, I uh… I got scared when Sam got shot. You know he's been a big part of my life since I started at 15." She let out a breath. "Sam and I have a history, I mean, obviously we do, and when he got shot, I didn't think. I just acted on instinct. He needed someone to be there for him," said Andy.

"You're not his girlfriend," Nick reminded her. "It should have been Marlo."

Andy nodded. "I know, but he was my partner, my T.O—"

"And your boyfriend until he broke up with you and left you crying in a parking lot," Nick said.

Andy winced slightly, but quickly schooled her features and wet her lips. "I still love him," she said quietly. "And part of me always will, so yeah, I went with him in the ambulance."

Nick stared at her. "So why aren't you with him now?"

"Things are different," Andy said. She could hear the slight tremble in her voice. "What you and I have is great. I'm… happy." She swallowed hard and forced a small smile. "It's simple in a way that I never had with him. Sam and I were always so…" She paused again, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she gathered up the courage to say what needed to be said, even if, in her heart, she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing. "…complicated and now he doesn't even remember me. The point is, I don't want to give up on what we have without knowing where it might lead." Was that really the point, or was it really that Sam didn't remember her and might never remember her, and that she couldn't for the life of her figure out why he'd fallen for her in the first place so she didn't know how to do it again?

"What if Swarek remembers you? asked Nick.

Andy shook her head. "This is about us Nick, not Sam." _Liar._ She pushed the thought aside. Nick was a good guy. But he wasn't Sam, the old Sam, not the one that stared at her like he was solving a puzzle. But she couldn't have the old Sam, and she was being forced to lie to the new one – no relationship could grow from lies. Was she lying to Nick then? _No_. She cared about Nick, that wasn't a lie.

"It can never be about us Andy until he's out of the picture."

"He doesn't even remember anything. He might never remember. And even if he does, it doesn't change the past," Andy said, struggling to hold back the tears as she said the words. She wanted Sam to remember, but she was also scared if he did. Sam was risky, Nick was safe. It was different with Nick than Sam, but she didn't want to give up on something that could be amazing. But maybe by being here she already was. Swallowing hard, she continued. "You know we have something good… you and me… and I'm sorry I took off. I get it if you don't feel the same way, but I don't want to throw things away; I want to see where this goes."

Nick was quiet for a moment. He had his reservations about Swarek and whether Andy would change her mind, but he couldn't change how he felt about her and if she was willing to give it a shot he'd be stupid to turn her away. He searched her face, then leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Okay," he mumbled against her lips.

She forced a small smile, partially relieved that Nick wasn't giving up on her, but at the same time, feeling a piece of her heart break. As tears formed in her eyes, she pulled Nick into a hug so he wouldn't see them, closing her eyes tight as thoughts of dark hair and warm brown eyes caused a tear to escape.

* * *

When parade ended the next morning, Sam was intentionally slow in collecting his papers when he saw Andy approach Frank.

"Sir?" said Andy.

"McNally. I have a meeting so make it quick," Frank replied.

Andy hesitated when she realized Sam was still there. Knowing she might not get another chance to talk to Frank today though, she forced herself to say it right then and there. "I'd like to switch rotations."

Frank stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her before glancing around at the officers who were slowly filing out of the room. His eyes paused on Sam before looking down at Andy. "All of our rotations are currently full," he said after a long moment. "And I don't foresee anyone wanting to swap in the near future." He felt guilty saying it since he knew he could probably work something out, but he also suspected her request had something to do with Sam. He knew that being around Sam was hard on Andy at the moment, but he'd much rather risk her letting something slip than separating them. He suspected that if they were around each other enough, then maybe Andy could trigger something and Sam would eventually remember things.

"But—" she began.

"Look McNally, I'd like to help you out, but we're short on numbers as is and it just isn't going to work at the moment."

Andy hesitated. How far did she want to push the issue? Not seeing Sam might help her progress with Nick, but would it really help her? The only reason she was talking to Frank now was because Nick asked her to, at least for a little while until things settled down with Sam.

"Is that all?" Frank asked sharply.

She nodded, then left the room without another word. At least she could tell Nick she'd tried.

* * *

After overhearing Andy's request to switch rotations, Sam did his best to steer clear of her for the rest of the week. He couldn't be sure, but he suspected it was probably because of him. After all, he'd seen the look on her face every time he approached her to ask her something. The problem was, she seemed the most reluctant to be around him, yet the most willing to answer his questions, at least to some degree.

Early on in the following week, however, he ran into her by accident. Literally. He was turning to enter the kitchen just as she was leaving. A small cry escaped her lips as coffee spilled down the front of her, from her shirt all the way down to her pants. She cursed softly, quickly setting her cup with the remaining coffee on the table before taking off her tie and unbuttoning her shirt. She hastily took that off too and threw it on the table, accepting the paper towels that Sam was now holding out for her. Her hand brushed against his as she reached for them, and for a moment he hesitated in releasing them.

Snapping out of it, he grabbed some more, muttered an apology, and moved to clean up the mess on the floor. He didn't have his full mobility back, so he knew cleaning it up would be painful, but it was his fault and he wanted to help. He'd barely started bending when the paper towels were snatched from his hand.

"Idiot," she said quietly.

"Excuse me?" he replied, staring at her. She had quite the nerve.

Andy looked at him for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you really want to try to clean that up? You bend down that much at this point and I guarantee you aren't getting up."

He frowned.

"You shouldn't have even been cleared for light duty yet," she said, her tone a little softer this time. "I'm surprised Frank even considered it—"

"It's paperwork," said Sam. "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"You don't even like paperwork," she said, bending down to clean up the mess. "I'm actually surprised you haven't laid into anyone—"

"You wanna tell me what your problem is with me?" he asked, cutting her off. He'd heard enough.

Andy had known she was pushing it, but she had been so overwhelmed with everything lately and starting her day off with a run-in with Sam and a coffee-stained shirt was putting her in a particularly foul mood. She finished cleaning up the mess and threw out the paper towels before finally facing him. "I don't have a problem with you, detective." _Except for the fact that you don't remember me!_

"You sure about that?" Sam said. "It certainly seems that way."

Andy hesitated as she met his eyes. She hadn't meant to, but she'd found her eyes drifting and when she looked up at him she felt her whole body freeze. She could tell he was a little irritated, but even still, the warmth in his soft brown eyes melted her anger.

After a moment, she shook her head. "Bad day, that's all," she said in a much softer tone. "I'm really sorry. You haven't done anything wrong; you didn't deserve this… You just happened to walk in at a bad time."

Sam frowned by the sudden change in her attitude. He had seen her features change as he'd looked at her, but wasn't sure what caused it. Instead of risking asking a question that might set her off again, he said, "I'm sure the coffee didn't help then… I'm sorry."

She shrugged, starting to feel really guilty for going off on him. None of this was his fault; he had just walked in on her when she was having a moment and the coffee spilling all over her had been the final straw.

"It seems to be a regular occurrence for you," he said when he didn't get a verbal response. He tried to say it in a joking manner to see if he could get a smile out of her.

"Funny," she replied, trying to withhold a smile as she moved back to the counter to make another coffee. He followed and used the other machine to make one for himself, noting how the corners of her mouth had turned upward slightly as she spoke.

"There you are," said a voice.

They turned to see Luke entering the kitchen. "Andy, these need to be reviewed by the end of today." He set a massive box down on the table. "We're down in numbers now, so you need to pick up some extra work."

"You could have just left them at the front," said Andy, ignoring his remarks as she picked up her coffee.

"You have three months off the streets Andy," said Luke. "By the time you're released for patrol you won't be fit for duty. You could use the physical activity." With that, Luke left the room.

As Luke was speaking, Sam had set down his own drink and held his hand out so it was just below Andy's coffee. She seemed prone to dropping it, and after that comment, he wasn't so sure she'd be able to hold on.

Now that Luke was gone, Andy turned back to Sam and realizing what he was doing, she suddenly burst out laughing, shoving him a little.

As she walked away, he noticed the slight colour creeping into her cheeks. Again, he couldn't help but frown, despite the small smile forming on his face from hearing her laugh. He couldn't understand how she'd gone from being so angry to laughing so quickly. Was she bipolar?

He realized Andy was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. "What?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation.

"I'm not bipolar," she said.

Now it was his turn. His mouth opened in shock. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Did I say that?" he asked innocently.

"Uh yeah," she said. "And you want bipolar, you go find your last girlfriend."

Andy clapped her hand over her mouth as a curse escaped her.

Sam stared at her, eyes wide. "What did you just say?" He'd heard her perfectly well, but couldn't believe it.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did."

Andy shook her head. "Nope."

"You said I had a bipolar—" said Sam.

"Shhh…" she said, putting a hand over his mouth, "Seriously, if you want me to answer another question ever again, you have to forget about it, okay?"

Sam looked down at her hand, feeling the warmth radiating from her skin. When she pulled it away, suddenly looking embarrassed, he said, "Fine."

He could tell she was studying him, not really believing that he'd just let it go. He ignored her look, and rather abruptly said, "So you slept with Callaghan, didn't you?"

Once again, Andy found herself clapping her hand to her mouth, but this time it was to prevent herself from spitting out the mouthful of coffee she'd just sipped. She coughed a little, then said, "That's personal."

He shrugged. "Clearly didn't go well."

She hesitated, walking over to the box and glancing at some of the files inside, before turning to face him. "I dated him, was engaged to him and was a week away from marrying him," she said before turning back to the box and picking up a file.

"But you didn't?"

"Nope," said Andy. Although Sam had been involved to some extent in her relationship with Luke, what happened really didn't concern him, so she didn't feel like it was necessary to keep it a secret. Besides, if she could answer some questions and get him to stop asking others then she was more than willing to divulge some personal information. "He cheated on me with his ex."

"I'm sorry."

Again she shrugged. "It was my fault," she replied. "I found the ring, which was actually the same ring he used to propose to his ex with, but he kept it and when I accidentally found it he proposed." She laughed dryly. "Then his ex came to 15 for awhile and they slept together. He tried to hide it from me, even suggested we still get married, and pushed the date up. It happened a week before the wedding, and luckily I found out in time."

"He's an idiot," Sam said.

"Actually, he can be a really good guy, and really sweet," said Andy, causing Sam to frown once more. "He just really screwed up."

"If he's such a good guy, then why is he treating you like this after what he did to you?" said Sam, gesturing to the box.

"We never really became friends again… talked a little, but it's always been a little awkward, and with my role in what happened over a month ago, he won't likely let it go anytime soon."

"What was your role?"

Andy bit her lower lip, wondering how much she could tell him. She had denied him any information on the affair the last time he'd asked, but decided to give him a small bit today. "I had some information that I withheld. It turned out that things escalated and what I knew could have put an end to everything before it got out of hand."

Sam instantly regretted asking her – he could see the guilt in her face. "Did I teach you to follow your gut?"

She nodded.

"Did you follow it?" he asked.

She hesitated, then nodded. "I think so, but…" She sighed. "…these days I don't even know what to think anymore." She knew that regardless of what her gut had told her, she'd largely acted the way she did because of the man standing in front of her.

He shrugged. "Then you made the right call."

Andy frowned. "You do realize you were shot because of it, right?"

Sam met her eyes. "Did I know what you knew?"

Andy tossed the file back into the box and moved to grab her things.

"Andy… McNally," said Sam, cursing himself. Why couldn't he get it straight, she said he called her McNally.

She moved to grab the box, but he stepped in and took it from her.

"Seriously Sam, I can't do this. I can't answer anymore questions right now," said Andy. "Give me the box. I need to get back to work and so do you."

He frowned at the use of his first name, wondering if it had been intentional or a slip-up. She clearly looked flustered. He looked down at the box, frowning when he saw a name he recognized, yet he wasn't sure why he recognized it. He didn't recall ever working a case for it, so perhaps it was something that he was remembering. He set the box down and pulled out the file.

Catching a glimpse of the file name, Andy moved forward in an attempt to snatch it away from him, but he put it behind his back, his eyes narrowing.

"Give me the file," she said, holding out her hand.

Sam shook his head. "I want to read it first."

"I can't let you do that."

"If I don't read it now I'll just read it later," said Sam. "It isn't that difficult to access files."

"It is when Frank's restricted your access," she snapped. "Now give it back."

"Even more reason for me to read it now," he said, wondering why he hadn't yet noticed that he had restricted access to case files. That's something he was definitely going to confirm once he left the kitchen.

"You're supposed to remember things, not read files to get your answers," said Andy. "If the doctors or Frank find out that you accessed them because of me I could get fired... I'm still on probation."

She could see his hesitation.

"When you were my T.O, you never would have put me in this position," she said. "Don't do this to me now. Please just give me the file."

He hesitated. Based on her reaction, whatever was in the file was big and would likely answer a lot of his questions. He couldn't ignore the pleading tone in her voice though, or the look on her face. What also struck him was the fact that she seemed sure that he never would have put her in this position in the past, which meant they had to have had a pretty good relationship. He sighed, then reluctantly held out the file for her.

"Thank you," she breathed, taking the file back and shoving it in the box.

He moved to pick up the box again, but she shook her head. "Luke's right. By the time my probation is done I'm going to be declared unfit for duty from sitting around all day," she said, forcing a smile.

Sam hesitated, but backed off. "I don't think that's going to be an issue," he replied, then realizing how that sounded and seeing the colour creep back into Andy's cheeks, he said, "I mean… just forget I said that."

Andy laughed a little, then threw her shirt on the box and awkwardly picked up both her coffee and the box. She was halfway to the door when she turned back again. "Oh, and Luke can be a nice guy, but I'd stay clear of him. You don't exactly get along and don't have a good track record. Maybe he'll give you a bit of a free pass given… uh, that you don't remember things, but I doubt it, so just watch what you say around him or it might come back to bite you."

Sam nodded. He'd gotten along okay with Callaghan in the past, so he didn't really understand what would have changed, but he knew Andy was perhaps stretching the rules a bit to make things easier for him, so he merely nodded and gave her a small smile before she left the kitchen. At least things had turned around quite a bit from when he'd first run into her this morning. Was this progress?

**Thanks for reading! I think I hear some of you groaning already. Hopefully everyone who started this chapter finished it and read my note. There's a lot more to come, so hang in there McSwarek shippers because Frank's clearly on our side and if you never liked Traci's son, Leo, before, I think you'll like him in the next chapter. So up next, what happens when you have a man suffering from memory loss and a kid without a filter in the same room? Things get interesting. (Oh, something to look forward to next chapter: I think Nick might only be mentioned once, so it's definitely very Sam/Andy/Leo/Traci/Oliver oriented)**

**Let me know what you think!**


	6. When a Kid Talks

**Welcome back! I'm glad you guys are sticking around for the ride. Many thanks for your reviews and follows, and welcome to those of you who are just joining us! I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. **

**Before I provide the recap, I'm going to address some of your reviews to maybe explain the direction of the story a little better and provide additional reassurance… So, Andy's exhausted, confused, and feeling more than a little hurt. She's obviously not coping well – she largely blames herself for what happened, and finding out Sam doesn't remember her after what she'd said in the ambulance is making things even more difficult for her. She needs someone to lean on and Nick has been that person for her for awhile now, not to mention Nick was/is her boyfriend. Could she act more civil towards Sam? Yes. But she did apologize in the last chapter, and you'll see her attitude and their interactions change as we progress. It's obviously rough on Sam, but it's rough on her too. She loves both men, and she's struggling to figure out if breaking up with Nick for a man she loves but doesn't remember her (and may never love her again… in her mind anyway) is worth it. Remember, she didn't abandon Sam (despite her confession, she wasn't in a relationship with him at the time); she just didn't abandon Nick (who was her boyfriend at the time). Anyway, we know what we want, you know you'll get McSwarek, but at this stage in the story, I don't think it's quite that simple for Andy, not when there are two guys she's fallen for and she's facing a very complicated situation… and yes, she loves them in different ways… The McCollins' relationship really isn't going to be overly apparent in this story because that isn't my main focus, but you'll see in the next chapter that having Nick and Andy periodically shown together is actually getting Sam thinking. So, let me reassure you guys: 1) You'll get McSwarek, and you'll get a LOT of McSwarek, 2) Having McCollins for a little bit longer will actually help Sam (even though we may not like the pairing – that is why they're hardly mentioned), 3) When it comes to McCollins, I will NOT subject you to anything beyond a smile or the odd kiss (pretty much a peck on the lips/cheek), 4) Without giving away too much, Nick is observant so while he'll get hurt, the damage will be minimized, 5) I don't despise Nick and I enjoyed his early friendship with Andy, so while there may be a bit of a rift in their future friendship, I don't intend to completely obliterate it, but again, this isn't a major focus in this story… 6) As I already mentioned, Andy's attitude gradually changes, so hopefully your opinion of her will too, and 7) I don't expect everyone to agree, but I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing. I'm just writing this note to try to provide some extra reassurance and let you guys know that I am taking what you say into consideration. Definitely continue to let me know what you think, what you like, what you don't like, what you want to see, what you think will happen, etc. I appreciate all of the feedback. But don't worry! I can't make absolutely everyone happy, but as long as you're a McSwarek fan, I do believe you'll enjoy this story. I hope this note helps…?**

**Recap: Sam struggles to find his place at 15 Division and remember the 4+ years of his memory that he lost. Although still very conflicted, Andy turns to Nick for comfort, fearing Sam may never remember her or come to love her again. Andy asks to switch rotations, but Frank steps up and refuses her request, believing Andy's presence will eventually help Sam remember things. Sam and Andy have a run-in in the kitchen that leaves Sam feeling like he's made progress with her.**

"Hey Sam," Traci called out, seeing her partner walking out of the change room. "Do you mind watching my son for a few minutes?"

He hesitated, staring at the young boy beside Traci. What was he supposed to do with the kid? "Uh, sure."

Traci smiled. "Leo, you remember what I told you, right buddy?" Her voice was full of warning.

The boy nodded. "I'm Leo," he said to Sam, holding out his hand.

Sam bit back a laugh, looking from Traci's receding back to the boy's hand before finally shaking it. "Umm, so how was school?" he said after an awkward moment.

"Boring," Leo replied. "My teacher yelled at me today."

Sam stared at the boy, but was lost for words. He had no idea what to talk to the kid about. Should he ask why the teacher yelled at him? Was it really any of his business? He leaned up against the wall, deciding to say nothing at all.

"Who do you like better, Batman or Superman?" Leo asked out of the blue.

"Uh… both?" Sam said. "Who do you like more?"

"Superman," Leo said, holding one arm up as if he was going to go into flight mode at any moment. "He has all these super powers, like he can shoot lasers with his eyes and he can fly."

Traci and Andy walked out of the change room in time to hear the end of Leo's explanation.

"Oh shoot, I forgot something in the office," Traci said. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Andy!" Leo cried, launching himself at her.

Andy laughed as she wrapped her arms around the boy. "You've grown little man," she said. "But I bet you're not too big for this…" She picked him up and swung him around as he laughed. He was almost too old for it, but it still worked every time. She was always rewarded with a laugh.

"Okay, okay, that's it for now," Andy said, putting Leo back on the ground. "If your mom catches me doing this she's going to get me in trouble, and she'll give me a lecture for getting you hyper before going home."

"But then you can babysit me," Leo said. In the last few months he'd started complaining about babysitters, but he liked when Andy came over.

"Not tonight buddy, I've got plans, but I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"

Leo nodded. "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise," she replied, smiling. That was when she realized Sam was leaning up against the wall a few metres away, watching her with an odd expression on his face. She stared at him for a moment, before turning back to Leo.

"Who do you like better, Batman or Superman?" Leo asked her.

"Hmm," Andy said, making it seem like it was a really difficult decision. "That's a tough one, but I think I have to go with Batman."

"Why?" Leo asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Well, Superman is born with his powers and learns to use them to help people, but Batman's just a regular guy fighting for what he believes in. He doesn't have super powers to help him. He just has a really big heart and works really hard to be able to help people."

She could feel Sam's eyes on her again. She looked up at him to see the odd expression still on his face, though this time he looked slightly surprised and maybe even impressed. Andy shrugged.

Leo held his arms up for Andy so she could pick him up and swing him around again. She glanced around, biting down on her lower lip. "Alright, once more," she said, swinging him around.

"Hey hey," said Traci. "You get him hyper and I don't care what plans you have, you'll be changing them to babysit."

She immediately set Leo down and rolled her eyes.

"Can I get Batman pyjamas?" Leo asked his mom.

Traci frowned. "But you like Superman."

"Yeah, but Andy likes Batman," Leo said. "And—"

"I'll think about it, okay?" Traci said and when Leo nodded, she looked at Andy who merely shrugged, though it was clear she was biting back a laugh.

"Alright, see you tomorrow buddy," Andy said, ruffling Leo's hair before walking away.

"Andy?" said Leo. "Are you going to bring Sam?"

Andy froze, her entire body going tense before she slowly turned around to face the boy. "Uh, no buddy," Andy said slowly. "But maybe he'll come see you another night."

"But why doesn't he come with you?" Leo asked. "Are you mad at him?"

Andy's eyes shot up to Traci who bore a guilty expression. When Traci showed no sign of interfering, Andy started to panic. Sam was watching her closely and everyone seemed to be waiting for her to answer. The problem was that she couldn't very well tell Leo that Sam wasn't coming with her because they weren't dating anymore. Her mind blanked. "Well…. Umm…" She paused. "You know how Batman and Superman sometimes get hurt when they're fighting bad guys?"

Leo nodded.

"Well, Sam got hurt too, and… he needs to rest and get completely better so that he can… play Lego with you. Okay?"

"But he looks okay," said Leo. "Why can't he come? He always comes with—"

"Sweetie," Traci interrupted. "Remember what we talked about? Andy's going to come visit tomorrow night, and maybe if Sam feels up to it, he'll come visit us another night."

"But—" Leo tried again.

"Leo," said Traci in a stern voice, making the boy look up at her with wide eyes.

Sam turned his eyes back to Andy who was standing there looking extremely uncomfortable. "Leo," Sam said, his eyes flicking back to the boy. "Why do I always come?" His heart was beating faster.

"Because—"

Traci gently placed a hand over her son's mouth, shooting Andy an apologetic look.

Even with a hand covering the boy's mouth, Sam could have sworn Leo said it was because Andy was there, but that didn't make much sense to him.

Traci looked between Sam and Andy, then quickly said, "See you tomorrow Andy."

Andy didn't waste any time in turning around and quickly walking towards the exit.

Sam looked back to Traci, shooting her a questioning look.

"Not today Swarek," said Traci. She'd thought Leo would be able to keep his mouth shut for the few minutes that Sam was watching him, and now she felt terrible because her son had said something. She'd seen the panic in Andy's eyes as she turned around and the questioning look in Sam's, and she wasn't prepared to deal with any of it, none of them really were. "I'll see you tomorrow," Traci said, taking Leo by the hand and leading him out the door before Sam could question her further.

* * *

Sam watched from his place at the bar as Andy got up from her table and walked toward the washroom. On her way back out, he reached out and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. "So how often did you take me to see Traci's kid?"

Oliver choked on his drink.

Andy glanced over at him, then back at Sam. "Why would I do that?" she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "I mean, wouldn't that be a little weird? You were my T.O."

Sam frowned. Andy had a good point, but there was something off in the way she said it. "So then what was Leo talking about?"

Andy shrugged. "He's a kid, how should I know?"

"Just because he's a kid, doesn't mean he's lying," Sam challenged.

"Like I said, what reason would I have to take my T.O to Traci's house to see her kid?" said Andy. "Seriously, did you even think about what you're asking me?"

Andy glanced at Oliver who gave her a subtle nod. With that, she turned to walk away, but Sam grabbed her arm again.

"Fine, so what's so important about the Wade and Dhara case?" Sam asked. "I get that it was bad. No case that involves a serial rapist or kidnapped children is good. But, why wouldn't you—"

"Andy did you tell him about it?" said Oliver, spinning around to look at her.

"No, Oliver, I didn't… You want to blame someone, you blame Luke. He was the one who gave me the box of files… He was more interested in making me angry than he was concerned about who might see them," she said. Before Oliver could interrupt, she added, "Sam grabbed the file and saw the name. I didn't let him look at it, but clearly he couldn't resist looking it up after. And considering his access is restricted, someone else has clearly been helping him."

"Why can't I know about this case?" Sam asked, cutting Oliver off before his friend could say anything.

Andy looked at Oliver before turning back to Sam and saying, "Oliver was shot and I killed the guy. It isn't exactly something we like talking about."

Sam looked from his friend to his rookie. They were hiding something.

"Andy," Oliver warned. "That's enough."

"What?" she snapped. "He won't stop, and I'm not telling him anything that he can't figure out on his own with a little bit of research."

"We're not supposed to tell him anything," said Oliver, his tone much softer this time.

"So what, you haven't?" she asked, hands on her hips. "Can you honestly tell me you haven't told him anything?"

Oliver shrugged. "Not what I'd like to," he replied.

Sam saw the colour creeping into Andy's cheeks, wondering what Oliver could possibly have to tell him that would make Andy blush.

"Yeah, uh, I've gotta go," said Andy quietly, immediately turning and leaving them.

"So I guess there's no point asking what that was all about?" asked Sam.

"Nope," said Oliver. "But the sooner you start remembering, the better," he added, watching as Andy walked back to her table and smiled at Nick, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Sam watched the frown form on Oliver's face before seeing his eyes narrow. "Everything okay?" he asked slowly.

"Nope," Oliver replied. "But we're not going to talk about it."

**Thanks for reading! So, Leo could have said a lot more, but what Sam was told definitely got him thinking, which may be a little more evident in the next chapter, which is called "Something About Her".**


	7. Something About Her

**Welcome back! Thanks for your reviews and follows. As always, I love hearing what you have to say, so please keep it up. **

**Case clarification: The Wade/Dhara case referred to in the last chapter was from "Hot and Bothered" (s1). **

**Also, as a McSwarek shipper I can understand why some of you would like me to leave Nick out of the picture entirely, but when season 4 first ended, the writers were telling us that the triangle would continue, and they made it sound like things would be really complicated, like Nick wouldn't just back off. So, even though as a viewer of the show I've always wanted Nick to back off without a fight, my story takes its own spin (obviously including the memory loss) but also tries to incorporate that idea that the triangle continues for a little bit. Personally, I never really saw Andy as loving Nick (caring for him, yes, but not loving him), but Missy seemed think Andy loves Nick, so I'm trying to play off of that idea as well. Either way, McCollins is pretty much a shadow in this story that eventually fades away entirely. Also, as stated in the story description, this story ignores s5 (although there may be some coincidental similarities in future chapters) – that said, when Sarah appears in the next chapter, don't expect the one from s5. I don't particularly like her so far.**

**Recap: Sam struggles to find his place at 15 Division and remember the 4+ years of his memory that he lost. Although still very conflicted, Andy turns to Nick for comfort, fearing Sam may never remember her or come to love her again. After a run-in with Andy in the kitchen, Sam feels like he's made progress with her. Traci ends up leaving Sam to watch her son for a few minutes and Leo reveals some things about Sam and Andy that have Sam questioning (even more) who Andy McNally is to him.**

"McNally, Collins, parade room in three minutes," said Frank.

Nick, who had been in the process of leaning in to kiss Andy, abruptly pulled away. "Yes sir," said Nick, nodding to the staff sergeant.

Andy merely stood there in silence as she watched Sam walk by with Frank. She met his eyes for a brief moment before he seemed to shake whatever thoughts he'd had, and turned his attention back to his boss.

"Let's go," said Andy quietly, once both men had passed.

Nick's eyes flicked from Sam to Andy before he nodded, following her into the parade room. "You okay?" he asked, gently nudging her arm to get her attention.

"Huh?" Andy said. "Oh, yeah… yeah, I'm fine." She forced a smile before turning her eyes to the assignment board. After examining it for a long moment, she sat up on one of the desks and turned to Nick. "Don't you find it odd that, since I've been back, you've never been put on desk duty with me?"

Nick shrugged.

She tilted her head slightly as she thought back to all of her previous desk duty partners. After a brief pause, she nodded to herself. "I'm serious, it's weird. I've been paired with all of the other junior officers except for you."

"I don't make the rules babe," said Nick, shrugging again. "I guess I've just been lucky not to get stuck on desk duty."

Andy's mouth fell open as she quirked an eyebrow, as if daring him to continue that thought.

"Not that it would be bad with you," said Nick quickly, realizing his mistake.

Andy smacked his arm and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I get to see Dov again. It looks like he's back today."

Nick nodded. "I wonder when Chloe will be back."

She nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts still on why Nick never seemed to be assigned to desk duty anymore.

Having overheard the entire conversation, Sam looked over at Frank. The man had long since stopped shuffling papers and was now staring at Andy's back as she spoke. Sam's eyes flicked back to her as she swung her legs around the desk and stared right back at Frank.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in disbelief. "Sir?" said Andy, sliding off the desk and approaching the staff sergeant.

"McNally, parade is about to begin," said Frank.

"This will just take a second," she said. "I was just wondering when Nick was going to be assigned to desk duty? All of the other junior officers have gotten it with me."

"I have to start parade McNally," said Frank sharply. He'd known it was only a matter of time before she approached him on the subject.

"But—"

"Dov is back today so we're easing him in on desk duty. You'll likely be with him for a few days or so."

"But that doesn't…" she began, but Frank held up his hand to silence her. She stood there for a moment, arms crossed, before Frank turned his eyes to Traci. Taking the hint, Traci pulled Andy to one of the chairs, where she reluctantly sat, her eyes narrowed as she watched Frank begin the morning meeting.

From his spot at the back of the room, Sam watched the verbal exchange between his boss and former rookie. He had to agree with Andy: Frank was definitely hiding something, but why didn't the staff sergeant want Andy and Nick working together?

He continued to watch her throughout parade, almost laughing at her persistence, when at the end of the meeting she got up and tried to approach Frank again. The man wasn't having it though – he briskly walked right by her without a glance in her direction and when she tried to go after him, Traci stopped her. Curious, Sam followed them, ensuring he was far enough behind that they wouldn't realize he was there, but not so far behind that he couldn't hear them speaking.

"Traci, what aren't you telling me?" asked Andy as they left the parade room.

Nick walked by, dropping a quick kiss on Andy's cheek before heading outside.

Andy barely acknowledged him – she was too focused on Traci.

"I don't know what's going on."

Andy let out a frustrated growl, surprising Sam. It sounded like something he'd do. "You know Frank is up to something. I've been paired with _everyone_ except for Nick. I've even been paired with the Ice Queen, and she'd clearly love to stab me."

Traci remained silent.

"I mean, it's not like Nick had anything to do with what happened," Andy continued. "So it's not like we're being separated because of that… I just don't get it."

Sam could see Traci's sudden discomfort. "Well, since you're in a relationship, maybe Frank is trying to see who you both work well with so that he can adjust partners before you get back out on the streets."

Andy frowned. "Okay, so lets say that's the case… We still should have been scheduled on desk duty together at least once or twice already, right? I mean, you have to admit, it feels… intentional… personal even."

"Look Andy, I don't know what you want me to tell you. I really don't know how the schedule works," said Traci, struggling to come up with an excuse that could get her out of this conversation.

"Fine, whatever," said Andy. "I'll just talk to Frank myself."

"He's in meetings all day."

Andy held up her hand as she parted ways with her friend and walked towards the front desk.

Sam stepped up beside his partner and followed her to the detectives' office. "Why'd you lie to her?" he asked.

Traci looked over at Sam, frowning. "Not my decision, not my call."

"But you know something and you lied to her."

Traci shook her head. "She's looking to the wrong person for answers. I have a theory, but I don't know anything for sure, and I'm not about to throw some theory in her head and have her go crazy over it. Really, she's clearly already thinking it, so I'm not going to fuel the fire."

Sam frowned.

* * *

_The next day…_

"Is it just me, or is there something off about that?" asked Sam quietly, watching as Nick bent down and kissed Andy before sitting down beside her.

"It's not just you," said Oliver after a moment. "He's a good guy, but he's not right for her."

Sam tore his eyes away from Andy and turned to Oliver, but his friend refused to look at him. What was that supposed to mean? He shook it off, chalking it up to Oliver's obvious fatherly affection for Andy. Unfortunately parade began so he didn't have a chance to question his friend further, and when it ended, Oliver left the room in a hurry.

"Andy," Oliver called out.

She turned around and walked towards him. "Yeah?"

"Uh, what's going on with you and Collins?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

"You seem awfully friendly."

"Yeah, umm…" Andy began, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Well, he's kind of my boyfriend."

"What about Sam?" Oliver pressed, folding his arms across his chest. "If you didn't care about Sam, why did you go in the ambulance with him? Why did you go into the room while they prepped him? And why did you wait for him to wake up?" He paused. "You still love him, you always have, and right now you're turning your back on him."

Seeing Sam walk out of the parade room, she grabbed Oliver's arm and pulled him down the hallway.

"Oliver, he doesn't remember me," she said, biting her lip. "And yeah, of course I love him, but being together was never easy. There were always problems, obstacles…"

"So you're with Nick because it's easy, and because Sam doesn't remember you?"

Andy sighed. "Look, I know how it sounds. And yeah, in part I really need things to be easy right now and it is, with Nick." Oliver opened his mouth to interrupt, but she cut him off. "Haven't you ever thought that maybe Sam is better off without me?" She swallowed hard, struggling to keep herself from crying. "Oliver, it was never simple, and we hurt each other a lot. So, maybe this is his second chance. Maybe he'll be happier _not_ remembering me…"

"He might not remember, but he senses that seeing you with Nick isn't right," said Oliver. "He just told me that."

"What?" said Andy, eyes widening.

"He might not remember who you are, what happened between you, or how he feels about you, but it doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything now," said Oliver. "He knows you and Collins aren't right together. And you know he still watches you like he did in the past, maybe not quite the same way, but even though he doesn't remember what you mean to him, he's still drawn to you."

Andy couldn't stop the tears from spilling over. "I… I need to get to the front," she said, hastily wiping the tears away as she vanished down the hallway.

As she rounded the corner, she collided hard with someone. A small cry escaped her as she started to fall back, but hands reached out and grabbed her.

"Sorry," she said, looking up at Sam as he pulled her upright.

"At least you don't have coffee this time," he said, smiling, though it faded when he saw how rattled she was. What had Oliver said to her? "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"No you aren't," he said before he could stop himself.

Her eyes snapped up to his. Was Oliver right? Could Sam actually sense things, and maybe even still be able to read her, even without remembering her?

As he looked down at her, he had the sudden urge to pull her closer. _Why would I do that? And why would I even want to?_ _Yeah, she's gorgeous, but she's my rookie. _Without meaning to, he tugged her to him, faintly feeling her breath on his face. He studied her, hoping to find some sort of answer but all he found was that his own heartbeat had quickened. "Andy McNally, who are you?" he breathed.

She shivered as his breath fanned out across her face. She knew she should run, but her body seemed to have failed her as she stood there staring up at him. Within seconds, her body started to tremble and despite her attempts to calm herself, she couldn't, and she knew Sam was picking up on her sudden nervousness.

"Hey Swarek," said Traci. "Let her go."

Sam immediately released Andy, though he found himself reluctant to do so. "Sorry," he muttered to her.

Andy shot a frightened glance up at Traci, then ran off.

Sam noted Andy's expression, watching until she was out of sight before following Traci back up to the detectives' office. Once seated behind their desks, Sam looked over at his partner. "I need to know who she is."

Traci couldn't help but smile. "And you will, but maybe you need to change your approach. You'll remember the past on your own time, so maybe instead of asking her about it, why not get to know her now?"

He nodded. Traci had previously admitted that he'd never been friends with Andy, and that Andy had never just been his rookie. The thought had stuck with him, and after hearing what Leo had said, he had to ask again. "She wasn't just my rookie though, was she?" It sounded odd to him, but it was the only thing that made sense when he touched her, and after holding her that close, he couldn't deny that there had to have been something between them, or at least from his end. Based on her reaction though, he suspected she felt something too, but if that was the case, he couldn't understand why she was avoiding him. Sure she was with Collins, but couldn't she at least tell him if something had happened between them?

"Like I said, I think your best bet right now is to get to know her as she is," said Traci, biting back a smile. "Everything else will come to you eventually… but no, Andy McNally was never just your rookie."

* * *

Since his run-in with Andy earlier that day, he'd had an overwhelming desire to apologize to her. He wasn't sure if it was really that he wanted to apologize for what had happened, or if he just wanted to use it as an excuse to talk to her again. Either way, he knew she needed some space, so he waited until the end of the day, waiting nearly twenty minutes after she got up and headed for the changerooms before making his way in that direction. He arrived just as she was coming out.

"Hey," he said.

Andy hesitated. "Hey," she replied. She was about to continue walking when she noticed the conflicted look on his face. She hesitated again, then turned to face him. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Uh, I just wanted to apologize for earlier," he said, scratching his head.

The corners of her mouth tweaked upward slightly, but she quickly pressed her lips together to hide it. "I was the one that ran into you," she said, shrugging.

Sam shook his head. "That's not what I—"

"Hey babe," said Nick, walking up to Andy and putting an arm around her. "You ready?"

Andy glanced at Nick, but as he kissed her cheek, her eyes went back to Sam. She couldn't tell if Nick's sudden appearance had caused his expression to change, or if the kiss had.

"Babe?"

"Uh yeah," said Andy. "Just give me a second. I'll meet you outside, okay?"

Nick, who was now standing behind her with his arms around her waist, was looking at Sam over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Sam saw the anger flash across Andy's face, but seconds later it was gone and she was bearing a neutral expression. The tension in the air, however, was suddenly thick.

"Let's go," said Nick.

Andy hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. "See you tomorrow," she said to Sam, giving him a small smile to show she accepted his apology.

He merely nodded in response, finding himself unable to say anything else with Nick there beside her. It wasn't until that moment that he really found himself increasingly disliking Nick Collins.

As Nick led her towards the exit, Andy glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Sam still standing against the wall, watching them walk away.

* * *

_An hour later…_

Sam stiffened slightly upon seeing Nick walk into the Penny, his arm draped around Andy's shoulders.

"You okay?" Oliver asked, following his friend's gaze. When he spotted Nick and Andy, he frowned, turning back to Sam. "Something happen?"

Sam shook his head.

"So you aren't okay or something didn't happen?" Oliver said. Sam remained silent, his eyes focused on the couple as they walked up to the bar. "Earth to Sammy," Oliver said, waving his hand in front of Sam's face.

"Did Collins do something?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that," Oliver said, taking a sip of his beer.

"He seems to have a problem with me, and I can't shake the feeling that I don't exactly like him either."

Oliver struggled to keep a neutral face, debating how much to tell. He didn't get a chance though.

"There's something about her," Sam said, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know exactly what it is, but there's something." His gaze returned to Andy, the grip on his glass unconsciously tightening as Nick put his arm on the back of her chair. Despite Oliver trying to engage him in a conversation, he found himself unable to look away from Andy. Even when she turned and caught him staring, he still didn't stop. She frowned before giving him a small smile, which he returned, though it quickly fell from his face when he realized Nick was looking back and forth between them, his gaze studious but full of anger. Again, Sam knew he should look away, but Collins' anger intrigued him. He turned back to Andy and met her eyes once again, maintaining eye contact despite the heat of her boyfriend's gaze being on them the entire time.

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.**

**So, Sam is clearly picking up on a few things, but he's still really confused. Even though he seems to realize that Andy was more than just a rookie to him, he still finds himself in denial about it because it doesn't quite fit with who he was 4+ years ago. He still isn't sure how to define her, and even though all the clues point to them previously being in a relationship, he hasn't really acknowledged the idea that Andy could have been his girlfriend. Up next, Sarah Swarek comes barreling into Andy's life and stirs things up.**


	8. Meeting Sarah Swarek

**Welcome back! Thanks for all your reviews/follows/favourites! I love hearing your thoughts and reactions, so I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. **

**Recap: After losing 4+ years of his memory, Sam struggles to figure out what Andy really is to him. He sees Nick kissing her and senses something isn't right with that picture, and even finds himself on the verge of hating Nick without really understanding why. Meanwhile, Andy is starting to realize that there might be a lot more going on around the division than she's privy to (ex. Frank intentionally scheduling her with everyone but Nick). When Nick sees Sam and Andy staring at each other at the Penny, he suspects Andy isn't as over Sam as she thinks/says she is.**

Andy did her best to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably.

"Late night?" Dov asked, grinning.

"Yeah, but not the good kind," Andy replied, gently slapping her face in an attempt to wake herself up.

"Coffee works better."

Andy laughed. "Yeah, well, it hasn't helped yet."

"Trouble in paradise?" Dov asked quietly, leaning towards her.

She groaned. "Nick thinks I'm still in love with…" Andy fell silent and jerked her head in the direction of the detectives' office.

Dov glanced over his shoulder to see Sam sitting behind his desk chatting with Traci. "And are you?"

"No… yes… I don't know Dov," Andy said, exasperated. "I mean, he was with Marlo. I tried to move on. I did, I think. I mean, I love Nick, but—"

"But it's Swarek," Dov supplied.

Andy nodded. "Well, yeah. I've been trying though, like _really_ trying to make things work with Nick, but every time I see Sam, I can't help but think that maybe I was wrong. It's still there Dov, that feeling, that _thing_, and I don't know if it will ever go away."

Dov nodded. "You know, not everyone gets a second chance. Chloe's starting to show improvement, but I still have to deal with that guy that's been calling himself her husband." He paused. "I love her, but I might not get another chance. So, do you want yours? Because if you do, don't wait long. You never know when that door will close… or slam in your face."

She swiveled in her chair so she could see the D's, studying Sam as she bit down on her lower lip. Had she listened to her heart, or was it her head when she'd chosen Nick? As if sensing her eyes on him, Sam's eyes shot in her direction. A frown creased his forehead before it vanished and he smiled instead. She could feel the heat spread to her cheeks, so she forced a smile before swinging her chair back to face the desk.

Dov laughed. "He caught you, didn't he?"

Andy scrunched up the piece of paper in front of her and tossed it at Dov. "Shut up," she said, though she had to bite back a smile. "I'm so dead."

The next couple of hours were largely spent in silence as they pored over files and transferred calls. She was just hanging up from a rather long and senseless call when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. "I'll be with you in just a moment," she said, putting the file she'd been looking at away. That done, she turned back towards the desk. "I'm Officer Mc…" she began before the word caught in her throat and she was left staring at the person. Her entire body seemed to freeze as she took in the woman's appearance. The Dark hair, the dark eyes, the smile. It couldn't be, could it?

"Officer McNally?"

It was a moment before Andy could nod.

The woman smiled. "I'm Sarah… Sarah Swarek. Is my brother around by any chance?"

Again, Andy nodded. "Umm, yeah, I'll go get him." She could have easily called him, but after gawking at the woman for the last minute she needed to get away and compose herself again.

"Wait," Sarah said. "You're Andy, right?"

"Uh, yeah," was all Andy could manage, though she looked questioningly at the other woman.

Sarah smiled, but didn't elaborate, so Andy made her way to the detectives' office.

"Hey Andy," Traci said, looking up from her file.

Upon hearing Andy's name, Sam turned to look at her. She was staring right back at him.

"Was there something we could help you with?" Traci asked slowly, frowning at her friend's unusual behaviour.

"Uh," Andy began, snapping out of it. "Your sister is here." She still hadn't even looked at Traci.

"Sarah?" Sam asked, unsure if Andy was actually talking to him.

"Do you have more than one?" she blurted out, eyebrows shooting up.

"No," Sam said, frowning. Surely he would have told her that before.

She could feel her face heating up again. _Not again_, she thought, barely managing to withhold a groan. _What's wrong with me today?_ "Okay, well umm, she's at the front," Andy said, before turning and quickly making her way back to the front desk. By the time she sat down, Sam was already through the doors and being swept up in Sarah's embrace.

"Lunch?" Sarah asked him when they finally pulled away.

Sam nodded.

Feeling like she was intruding just by watching, Andy turned back to her work.

"Perhaps Andy would like to join us?" said Sarah.

Andy's eyes snapped up, not bothering to conceal her surprise. Even Sam was looking at his sister oddly. "Uh, can't," said Andy quickly. "I'm on probation."

"Ah, yes, I heard about that," said Sarah, trying to keep the smile off her face. "That was a good thing you did, it meant a lot, so thank you."

Sam looked from Andy to his sister and back again. He noticed the subtle shake of Andy's head, and the warning look in her eyes. What had Andy done that Sarah could possibly know about?

Sarah merely smiled. "Well, maybe coffee after your shift then?" She didn't even wait for a response – she took Sam's arm and led him out the front doors without another word.

Sam glanced back at Andy to find her looking at Dov and shrugging. Clearly, she was just as puzzled as he was.

Within ten minutes they were seated at the local diner, and Sam was unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Have you met her before?"

"Who? Andy?"

Sam nodded.

Sarah shook her head. "Nope. Only today."

He frowned. "Then why did you invite her to lunch and coffee?"

"I like her," said Sarah with a smile. "She's done more for you than maybe you'll ever know." Her mind went back to what she'd overheard Andy and the detective talking about before the trial.

"I don't understand," said Sam. "What has she done for me? Why did you thank her?"

His sister smiled sadly. "I wish I could tell you."

"So what, you're going to keep things from me too?" said Sam angrily. He'd thought maybe his sister would be more willing to fill in the blanks, even if she didn't know much.

"You need to remember on your own," said Sarah. "It's not up to me. It's what the doctor said and it's what everyone agreed on." She paused. "Besides, I only know what you told me, and what I saw in you when you came to visit. And neither one is much to go off of."

"What did I tell you?" Sam pressed.

"Sam, you know you're not an open book; you don't like talking about what really matters to you, so I don't know what happened to you in those four years. I really don't. All I know is that ever since you got that rookie, you've changed. So, maybe you should try to get to know her again, and maybe then you'll start remembering."

Sam frowned. It always seemed to come back to Andy.

The rest of their lunch was largely spent in silence, ending with Sarah walking him back to the station. As they reached the front desk, Sarah turned to Andy. "When are you done your shift?"

Andy's eyes flicked up. It was only then that she realized Sarah was talking to her. Her mouth fell open. _What is with Sam's sister?_ She hadn't expected Sarah to be so determined to get her out for coffee. Part of her was curious and wondered why the woman was being so persistent, while the other part of her was just nervous. "Uh…" She struggled to come up with an excuse.

"She's done at seven," said Dov.

Andy shot him a look, but her friend just shrugged.

"Good, I'll meet you here at seven then," said Sarah. Again, she walked away before Andy could respond.

She pretty much jumped out of her chair and grabbed Sam's arm as he turned to leave, her eyes on Sarah's back until the woman was through the doors. "What was that about?" Andy asked, finally looking over at Sam.

Sam shook his head. "I have no idea, but she seems to like you."

Andy frowned. She believed him when he said it, but that meant she was still in the dark about what Sarah was up to. "I said like five words to her," Andy said.

"More like fifteen, maybe twenty… but probably closer to fifteen," Dov said.

Andy shot him a look.

Sam laughed. "Well, maybe you're just a likeable person McNally." His eyes flicked down to her hand, which was still resting on his arm. He smirked. Something had changed with her.

She seemed to realize that at the same moment and released his arm, slumping back in her chair and exhaling deeply as she struggled to keep a blush from creeping into her cheeks for the third time that day.

* * *

As promised, Sarah returned to the station at seven and patiently waited for Andy to finish. Even after handing the keys off to the next shift, however, Andy stood staring at Sarah.

The woman smiled at her. "Ready?"

Andy reluctantly buzzed Sarah through the doors before meeting her inside the hallway. Considering she'd wanted to meet Sam's family for a long time now, she was surprised by just how much she wanted to run. The whole situation was so messed up, and she'd never anticipated having a one-on-one conversation with Sarah – she'd always imagined Sam being right by her side.

"So, do you want to go somewhere, or stay here?" Sarah asked.

"Here's fine," said Andy, hoping someone would find them and she would have a way out if need be.

They walked to the kitchen in silence, made coffee, then took up a spot on the couch.

"So, what can I help you with?" Andy asked a little hesitantly.

"Do you still love him?"

"What?" said Andy, completely caught off-guard. Her eyes widened. She'd expected some questions about Sam's progress, but not something as personal as that.

"I think you do, but I want to hear you say it," said Sarah.

"You do realize we're not together anymore, right?" said Andy slowly. "I'm seeing someone else."

"But do you love the other guy like you love my brother?" Sarah pressed.

"I can't answer that," Andy replied. "I'm _not_ going to answer that."

Sarah smiled. "That's because you don't want to admit that you still love Sam, not when you're with a different man. Makes things complicated, doesn't it?"

Andy stared at the woman, her mouth open. This couldn't be happening. "If this is what you came here for, it was a waste of time. I'm not talking about this."

"Andy, you changed my brother. He didn't even need to say anything; I just knew he met someone special when he came home this one time, years ago. He had this look in his eyes and he carried himself differently." She paused. "He was still reserved, but I could tell that he'd met someone." Sarah sighed, thinking back to those days. "I'm sure you know that Sam isn't the kind of guy to talk about his feelings though. And I couldn't get him to budge – he was being so stubborn, which is how I knew he was in love because the things that are closest to his heart are the things he doesn't talk about – so I asked Oliver and he said it was you."

"Yeah, don't believe everything Oliver says," said Andy. "He's been pushing it from the beginning."

"But he wasn't wrong," Sarah argued.

Andy remained silent.

"Look, I know you're with someone else right now, but just don't block him off completely, okay? I know my brother, and even though he's lost an important four years of his life, I can see he still feels something towards you. And while I don't think he's fully figured it out yet, I can see it in the way he looks at you. And, sooner or later, he's going to realize what it all means."

"Hey, there you are," said Nick, poking his head into the kitchen.

Andy forced a smile. "Hey," she replied.

Nick approached her and kissed her cheek before his gaze turned to the woman beside her.

"Uh, this is Sarah Swarek, Sam's sister."

Nick frowned, but shook Sarah's hand all the same. Turning back to Andy, he said, "You ready to go?"

Andy hesitated. "I'm actually pretty tired. I think I'm just going to go home and sleep."

"Oh, okay," said Nick. "Well, maybe tomorrow night then when I'm done shift?"

Andy nodded, barely conscious of him kissing her cheek – her eyes were focused on Sarah, who had a smile plastered on her face the entire time. The second Nick was gone, Andy got to her feet. "I… I have to go," she said. "But it was… nice meeting you."

Sarah's smile held. "It was nice to meet you too Andy McNally. I suspect we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."

Andy frowned, casting Sam's sister one final glance before leaving the room.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she narrowly missed bumping into Sam again as she made her way to the changerooms.

Sam frowned, his entire body turning as she passed him. Even after she vanished from sight, his eyes lingered. Part of him wanted to go after her and find out if she was okay, but he had a feeling his sister might have more answers this time. Sighing, he headed towards the kitchen, arriving just as Sarah stepped out. "What did you do to her?" Sam asked.

"I told her what she needed to hear," said Sarah, smiling at her brother.

"Which was?"

"For her ears only," replied his sister.

"Well, whatever it was, you definitely upset her," said Sam.

"You're awfully concerned about her well-being, aren't you?"

Sam frowned. It was true. He couldn't exactly deny that. Given that he didn't remember the last four years of his life, he'd come to care an awful lot about Andy's well being. It wasn't just that though, he found himself watching her a lot too – whenever she entered the room, he found it difficult not to look at her. And whenever her name was mentioned, he found himself blocking out everything around him and listening to whatever was said about her. It was odd; maybe even borderline obsessive, and that just disturbed him. But surely if he was obsessed with her then she'd have some kind of restraining order against him, right? Unless she didn't mind. It all sounded messed up in his head. Since when had he ever been obsessed with anything or anyone? It was stupid. McNally was just a person, his rookie. That was it. _Liar_. As much as he tried to deny it, she wasn't just a person and she wasn't just his rookie. She was gorgeous and spontaneous, and whenever she was around him, he felt alive. Whoever Andy McNally was, he was drawn to her both in the past and in the present. "She was my rookie," he finally said, though it came out sounding weak.

Sarah bit back a laugh. "And now?"

"Now she's…" Sam began. What exactly was Andy to him? They weren't even friends, yet he was interested in learning more about her and ensuring her safety so maybe they weren't just coworkers either. "I don't know what she is," said Sam, frustrated.

"Not yet," Sarah replied, this time smiling sadly. "But you will."

**Thanks again for reading! I'll admit this story has had me thinking and rethinking things so many times (which is why I've been more delayed than usual with its updates), wondering if I should switch things up or sink the McCollins ship sooner, but in the end, I've decided to go with my original route (although I may add or change up a few minor things). That said, thank you guys for all of your support – I warned you that this first part in particular would be rough, but you guys haven't waivered, so thank you for trusting me to take this story where I'm pretty sure we all want it to go. It's nowhere near being done yet, but the worst of it has almost blown over. A.K.A get ready for the storm to hit in Chapter 9 ("The Set Up") ;) And, for those of you who are anxious for Sam to remember something, that time is rapidly approaching. **

**Also, to my fellow Rookie Blue lovers across the border (and worldwide) who are tuning into the s5 premiere tonight, enjoy! I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't say anything else, but happy RB day! ****  
**


	9. The Set Up

**Welcome back! As always, thanks for your reviews/follows/favourites! You guys are absolutely amazing. I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think!**

**Recap: After losing 4+ years of his memory, Sam struggles to figure out what Andy really is to him. He sees Nick kissing her and senses something isn't right with that picture, and even finds himself on the verge of hating Nick without really understanding why. Meanwhile, Andy is starting to realize that there might be a lot more going on around the division than she's privy to. When Nick sees Sam and Andy staring at each other at the Penny, he suspects Andy isn't as over Sam as she thinks/says she is. Sarah Swarek arrives at 15 Division and stirs things up for both Sam and Andy, leaving both of them confused.**

Sam stared across the street at the house before glancing up and down the row of cars for a familiar face or vehicle. Nothing. He pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text to Oliver. _Here. Where are you?_

It was a moment before his phone buzzed with a response. _Head inside. Running late._

He ran a hand over his face. The last thing he wanted to do was head inside without knowing anyone, but it had nothing to do with fear. It was a house party where at least seventy-five percent of the guests were cops, which would have been fine four years ago, but with multiple divisions in attendance, he really didn't want to have to fake his way through the evening if he came across someone he should know but didn't. In fact, he really didn't even want to be here in the first place, but he'd promised Oliver he'd come. He contemplated sitting in the truck and waiting, but knew he'd never hear the end of it from Oliver if his friend caught him. Sighing, he opened his truck door and slid out, taking a deep breath before slamming it shut and heading for the front door. Again, he hesitated. _Get a grip Swarek_, he silently told himself. After finally knocking, he slid his hands into his jacket pockets and waited.

When the door finally opened, Sam frowned. The woman who had opened it was already disappearing around the corner without even saying a word. He hesitantly stepped in and took off his jacket, putting it in the closet with the others before heading in the direction the woman had gone. Based on the volume of chatter, there were already quite a few people in the house – surely someone he remembered would already be there. As he rounded the corner, he scanned the area for a familiar face.

According to Oliver, a lot of the usual group were supposed to be there, although to him, that didn't really mean a whole lot considering he didn't even remember who half the usual group were, and even though he'd been back at work for a little while now, he hadn't gotten a chance to really get to know them again. It was a few minutes before he recognized anyone… Andy.

Sam saw her sitting on the armrest of one of the couches, while a guy he didn't recognize hovered beside her chatting. He watched for a moment as she burst out laughing, but turned away the second her eyes looked outward and caught his. Deciding to temporarily abandon his search, he moved towards the food and drink table. He really wasn't hungry, but he didn't know what else to do in the room full of strangers.

"Hey."

Sam turned to find Andy standing beside him. His eyes widened. "Hey," he replied, surprised that she'd approached him on her own.

She watched him for a moment as he reached for some of the appetizers on the table.

"No," said Andy suddenly, her hand snatching up his wrist in an effort to prevent him from picking up the food.

Sam stopped, hand frozen mid-air as he looked at her again, an eyebrow quirked.

"You don't like those," she said a little shyly.

He watched as colour crept into her cheeks. He still couldn't figure out exactly why it kept happening, but he'd quickly come to realize that he liked seeing her like this.

"We had them on patrol once," she said in response to his silent question. "You like those ones though," she continued, releasing his wrist and pointing to an item on the table. She picked one up and took a bite, then clapped her hand to her mouth, her face scrunching up.

Sam laughed, then grabbed a napkin and nudged the garbage towards her. She turned away for a moment, then threw the used napkin in the garbage, shuddering at the aftertaste.

"I thought those were supposed to be good?" he said, grinning.

"Apparently not that version," Andy replied, shaking her head as if it would help get rid of the taste.

"Well, it's a good thing you tested it first then McNally," he said, smirking.

She smacked his arm lightly. "Yeah, well, you're trying the next one first."

Sam shook his head. "I don't think so. Pretty sure I'm just going to stick to beer." He reached down into the cooler and handed her a bottle of beer. She shook her head, so he put it back, then grabbed another, which she accepted with a small smile. He took one for himself, before saying, "So do you actually know this guy, the one we're here for?"

Andy shook her head. "Not really. He started at 15 a couple of years ago, but works on a different rotation, so I don't really know anything about him… Traci's talked to him though, which is pretty much why I'm here."

"Where is Traci?" he asked, looking around. He hadn't seen her yet. At least that would give him someone else to talk to, not that they hadn't already seen enough of one another at work.

"Bailed," said Andy. "Didn't get her text until I got here, but whatever. I was already here so there was no point turning back."

"And Nick?" Sam asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

"Working."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Have you seen Oliver?" Sam asked rather abruptly.

Andy frowned. "Oliver is visiting his girls tonight."

"Uh, what?" said Sam.

Her frown deepened. "He told you he was coming, didn't he? That's why you came without knowing this guy."

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Andy put a hand to her face, shielding her eyes. "I'm going to kill them," she muttered.

Sam suspected she hadn't meant to say it that loudly, but it was loud enough for him to make out the words. He opened his mouth to question her, but she dropped her hand, forced a small smile and said, "Looks like it's just you and me then…" She paused. "And these other people I really don't know."

"Well at least you know that guy." He nodded back towards the couch.

"Uh, no, I don't," said Andy with a laugh. When Sam frowned, she added, "He's pretty drunk, and he's been making his rounds since I got here. I think his name is James?... I don't know, I'm not sure, but you'll probably find out soon enough anyway."

She looked around again, but still couldn't see anyone she recognized. At this point though she knew it was highly unlikely that any of her friends would show up – after Traci conveniently bailed on her and Oliver blatantly lied to Sam, it was pretty clear they were being set up. Somehow the idea didn't bother her nearly as much as it should.

"Hey Sammy!"

Sam stiffened and turned his head to find a man walking towards him. "Hey," he replied, not offering anything else. He had no idea who the guy was.

"How have you been man?"

Sam looked over at Andy to see if she recognized the guy at all, but she was biting her lip and shifting from one foot to another. He watched her for another moment, finally deciding her behaviour had nothing to do with the guy; rather, she seemed to be torn between staying and letting them talk in private. Tearing his eyes away from her, he said, "Uh, good. You?"

"Great actually. Popped the big question last month, have a baby on the way," the man said.

"Congrats."

"Thanks man." There was a slight pause. "I can't believe you're here. It's been, what, two years since we saw each other? Yeah, it's gotta be two years; last time was at that case. Pretty messed up… What was the name of that guy again?"

Sam hesitated. "Uh…" He looked over at Andy, meeting her eyes for a brief moment before he saw her take a deep breath and nod.

"Hi, I'm Andy, 15 Division." She turned to face the guy and shoved her hand in his direction, forcing him to acknowledge her.

"Matty Henkles, 27," the man replied.

"So uh, sorry, I couldn't help but overhear, you have a baby on the way?"

"Yeah," Matty replied.

"Is it your first?" Andy asked. She felt really awkward at the moment but it was obvious Sam had no idea who the guy was.

Matty looked from Sam to Andy, then nodded. "Yup, first one. Maria's got a four year old son though."

"You're going to have your hands full soon," Andy said, forcing a smile. "But it will be worth it... I wish I had a sibling."

Matty smiled at her. "How do you two know each other?"

Andy looked over at Sam, but he seemed content with letting her take control. "This one was my T.O."

"Ouch," Matty said. "And yet you're still willingly hanging around him?"

Andy laughed. "He's not so bad."

Sam's eyes widened, but the smile on her face suggested she was just teasing him.

"Trust me, I think he had a harder time putting up with me," Andy added.

"Giving Swarek a run for his money? Now that's something I'd loved to have seen," Matty said.

Andy smiled, this time a little more genuinely and a little less forced. "And how did you guys meet?" Her eyes flicked from Sam to Matty.

"Sammy here was friends with my cousin, Jerry Barber," Matty replied. "Met at a poker night, and then had the chance to work together on a case where both divisions were called in."

Andy frowned. She hadn't been there for that one, but she did remember something big happening at one point that involved pooling resources from multiple divisions. "The Lansky case?"

Matty snapped his fingers. "That's the one. You worked it too?"

Andy shook her head. "No. I was off that day, but I heard it was big."

"One of the roughest cases I've worked," Matty replied, nodding. It was a long moment before he settled on a happier topic. "So, you guys still partnered together?"

"I work the streets," Andy said, then subtly nudged Sam.

"I moved to the D's."

"Congrats man, why the switch of scenery?" Matty asked.

Sam hesitated, glancing at Andy, but she refused to look at him. "You know, I don't really know what I was thinking anymore." With his eyes still on Andy, he continued, "Really doesn't seem to make any sense."

Andy took a sip of beer, looking at pretty much everything but Sam. It didn't seem to matter though – she could feel the intensity of his stare without having to look in his direction. She pressed her lips together and struggled to keep the blush off her face.

Hearing someone call out his name, Matty said, "Ah, I guess I should get back, but hey, we should catch up sometime."

Sam absentmindedly nodded, his eyes still on Andy. When at last she turned to look at him, he held his breath. Their eyes locked and he felt something stir within him, but before he could really recognize what it was, the sound of shattering glass broke their eye contact.

"Umm, thank you," Sam said after a long stretch of silence. He risked another look at her. Although she didn't look back at him, he could see the corners of her mouth curl upward.

"Incoming," she warned, as she took another sip of beer.

He groaned, but Andy's elbow in his side had him forcing a smile as another guy approached them. As with the last guy, he watched Andy step up and do the talking. And, just like with Matty, he could tell the guy was thrown off a little at first, but considering Andy was attractive and pretty easy to get along with, it was clear that neither guy really minded. They went through a couple more rounds of this before things finally slowed down.

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" Sam said quietly, moving a little closer to her.

Andy shrugged. "If you don't want me to I won't."

He frowned. "That's not what I meant. I just don't want you to feel like you have to."

"I don't."

His lips tugged upward.

"I guess… do you want to sit?" she asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

He nodded. When he'd initially headed toward the food table, he'd almost considered going home, until she'd approached him. And now that it was clear she wasn't avoiding him, he wasn't going to throw the opportunity away, no matter how many other people might try to talk to him.

"Oliver said you went away during your suspension," said Sam once they were seated on the couch.

"Yeah," said Andy. "This time I went to B.C. Did a lot of skiing and hiking."

"This time?" said Sam, frowning. "I figured you'd broken some rules, but you've been suspended more than once?"

Andy silently cursed. This wasn't the first time he'd pulled apart her wording and gotten something else out of her that she hadn't intended to let slip. How was it that she could go undercover and keep her stories straight and her words in line, but with him she just kept screwing up? "Umm, yeah, this is the second time. Last time I went up north."

"What did you do last time to get suspended?"

"Uhh… yeah, that's not really important," said Andy. When it became clear that he was going to question her further, she added, "Just minor misconduct. You know how they are… they make you take time off for everything. You shoot someone, you're off for a bit; you get shot at and you're off for a bit."

"You were shot?" he asked. He wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she'd been suspended on two occasions, or that she'd been shot. Regardless, he found both bothered him.

"Just in the vest," she replied, shrugging as she took another sip of her beer. "It's really not a good story though, so what about you?"

"What about me?" Sam said. He knew she wasn't asking about him being shot, but he really wasn't sure what to tell her.

"Tell me something."

"What don't you know that you want to?" He wasn't sure how open he'd been with her, so he really didn't want to say anything that might contradict what he may have said in the past.

"Do you like camping?" she asked after a moment.

Sam shook his head. "I'm a city guy. I can fix a car or your plumbing, but I can't start a fire or set up a tent."

She smiled.

"You already knew that though, didn't you?"

Andy smirked.

"Why not ask something new?"

"I will," Andy said, "But this is fun too."

"Why? Because you think I lied about something?" Sam asked slowly. The night had started off better than he'd thought it would, but now he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"No," said Andy. "You were never very good at lying."

He frowned. "How do you figure? I've lied plenty of times in undercover operations and gotten away with it every time."

Andy shook her head and laughed. "Yeah, you just suck at lying to me." Realizing it may have come out as too personal, she added, "After being stuck in a car with you for that long, it would be pretty bad if I couldn't figure it out."

"So if you don't think I'm lying, what are you trying to do?"

She sighed. "You're not exactly an open book. There are a lot of things I could ask you, but more than half of them are eliminated because it's either too personal for your liking, or it's about something you don't remember." She paused. "You're asking me questions I've already answered, so I'm asking you questions you don't remember me asking before. It's only fair, and I have a good idea of what you will and won't answer, so it makes it easier."

It made sense, but it still struck him as odd. "Okay, well, what kinds of things would you ask me if I could remember?"

"It doesn't matter," she said quietly, shaking her head. She got to her feet and glanced at him. "I'm going to go outside for a bit."

Sam watched her leave, then drank the last few sips of his beer before grabbing his jacket and following.

He found her sitting on a swinging bench on the front porch. Without a word, or even a glance, she moved over to make room for him. He hesitated, then sat down beside her, noting the obvious shift in her demeanour since she'd stepped outside.

"Still going to your doctor's appointments?" she asked.

"Yeah."

There was a small spell of silence. "Traci said you're starting to remember little things."

"Hardly," said Sam, looking over at her. Was she trying to find out if he remembered anything about her, or was she just curious? "Andy… Mc…" said Sam. He paused again. Calling her McNally just didn't seem right at the moment. "Andy, I'm sorry, but I still don't really remember anything about you except _maybe_ being tackled in an alley."

Andy gave him a small smile, though he couldn't tell if it was sad or not. "I know," she said quietly.

"You do? How?" Sam asked, confused.

She shook her head. "I just do."

He frowned. Exactly how well did she know him?

"Sam," she said after a long moment.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me something?" She paused and took a deep breath. "You haven't exactly had an easy last four years, so if you do eventually remember things about work… and stuff, talk to Oliver about it, or your sister, and if they aren't free, you can talk to me if you want. Just don't bottle it up and push people away. Don't just run away again."

Sam stared at her. What on earth had he done to make her say that?

Andy finally turned to him. "Promise me."

He met her gaze and found himself saying, "I promise."

She smiled, got off the bench, and said, "Good. And if you break that promise, I'll hunt you down, and you'll regret it."

He couldn't help but smile. Yeah, she was definitely his rookie.

"See you tomorrow," Andy said, before descending the stairs and walking down the driveway.

He frowned. "Andy?"

She turned back to face him.

"Where are you going?"

"Home," she said, giving him a strange look.

"You don't have a car though," he said, then as an afterthought he added, "Do you?"

"No," she replied. "I like walking."

Sam immediately got up and followed her. "Yeah, not this late at night," he said. "I'm driving you home."

"Seriously, I'll be fine," said Andy. "I do it all the time."

Sam shook his head. He didn't like the idea of her walking alone this late at night, and the fact that it sounded like she did it frequently, concerned him. What was Collins thinking letting her walk around like that? "It's not an option."

The look on her face suggested she was experiencing some sort of déjà vu. "Okay," she said after a moment. She started following him to his truck, then stopped. "Wait, how did you know I didn't have a car?"

Sam frowned. "You seem to walk to and from work a lot," he said. When she frowned, he added, "Your cheeks and nose are always a little pink from the cold." Realizing he was admitting to looking at her every morning, he decided he'd better come up with something better than that. "Uh…"

Andy burst out laughing. "Sorry," she said, when she managed to control herself.

"That came out wrong," Sam said a little awkwardly.

She shook her head. "No, actually, I don't think it did."

He turned to look at her, frowning again. Was she implying that he'd always been this way with her? That he'd always watched her like that?

They walked in silence for another moment, but once they reached his truck, Sam said, "Can I ask you something?"

Andy turned to look at him. She took a deep breath and nodded, wondering what was on his mind and if she would be able to answer it.

"Do you want me to remember everything?" he said, watching her face carefully.

"Uh… whoa, umm… wow Sam, that's…" began Andy, clearly caught off-guard. She thought he'd ask something about a specific thought or memory he may have had, not about everything. "I honestly don't know how to answer that," she admitted. "I mean, life was pretty complicated, so maybe not remembering will actually be easier for you, even if it seems hard at times…"

"But?" said Sam, sensing there was a _but_ coming.

"But, I think…" She fell silent at the sound of her name, and turned around to find Nick walking towards them. "Uh hey," she said to Nick as he approached.

Nick wrapped his arm around Andy and glared at Sam. "What are you doing here with Swarek?"

"He was going to give me a ride home," replied Andy. "Traci bailed."

"You could have called me," said Nick.

"Yeah, well, it's really not a big deal," said Andy, shrugging. "Traci bailed so I was going to walk home, but Sam offered me a ride."

"Yeah, I'm sure he did," said Nick.

Sam frowned. "Do you have a problem with me Collins?"

Nick rounded on Sam. "Yeah, actually I do," he said. "Why don't you just—"

"Nick," Andy said sharply, pulling on his arm as he moved towards Sam. "Stop it."

"No, you know what, I've had enough Andy," said Nick.

She threw her body in between the two guys, putting her hands up to stop Nick from advancing. "Nick, you know this isn't fair."

As Andy backed up, Sam caught a whiff of her shampoo, a scent that seemed vaguely familiar. He frowned, trying to remember why he seemed to recognize it and, more importantly, why it seemed to comfort him.

When Nick tried to move her out of the way, she shoved him hard. "Nick, get in the car." When it looked like he was going to argue, she said, "Please, just get in the car and I'll be there in a minute." To her relief, he reluctantly agreed.

"What was that about?" Sam asked.

Andy hesitated. "Umm, just unresolved issues."

"Like?"

She met his eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go… I'll umm, I'll see you tomorrow."

Confused, Sam got in his truck and watched as Andy got into Nick's car and vanished seconds later. He stayed there a moment longer before gradual realization dawned upon him. He recognized the smell of her shampoo because he'd been close enough to smell it on what he suspected – based on how it seemed to comfort him – were numerous occasions. The close proximity within the squad car may have given him the occasional waft of it, but she had just been standing so close that she was actually brushing up again his chest, her hair inches away from his nose. In that moment, more than any other, he was certain that Andy McNally was not just his rookie; she had been something far more than that. Though he couldn't remember her, it all made sense with how everyone was reacting to him, and to her. Collins was jealous and upset to find Andy with him. Traci, Oliver, and Sarah had all been coaxing him into talking to Andy about something other than the past, and had encouraged him to get to know her all over again. But if Andy was so important to him that they were all trying to guide him, why couldn't he remember more than the smell of her shampoo?

* * *

Nick pulled up in front of Andy's place. "You say it's not fair Andy, but this isn't fair." He gestured between them.

"I know," Andy said quietly.

"If you know, then what's going on?"

Andy took a deep breath. "I'm scared, and I'm tired of always making mistakes… I love you Nick – I meant that when I said it before, and I still do. But, I can't stop loving him either. I can't just flip a switch and make it happen. I thought I could just put it aside, you know? But even after trying to keep my distance, I just… I can't. And as much as I really want to move forward with you and make us work, part of me can't do that either… I love what we had, but I just don't know if I can do it anymore."

"Because you're falling for him again?" Nick asked slowly.

"I know it sounds bad, but yeah," she replied, tears rolling down her cheeks. It had occurred to her before, but after spending time with Sam at the party – no matter how tense and awkward it was at times – she knew it was true.

"I wish you'd just been honest to begin with," Nick said.

"I was," Andy replied. "I didn't know… I mean, there's always been something there, but I thought we could do this. I thought we could be happy. But I can't change what I feel. And as much as I want us to work, I can't not be with him."

"But you can be without me?"

Andy looked over at him. "I don't want to lose either of you, I really don't. But you've been making me choose."

Nick shook his head. "You know, I knew when we first started sleeping together that you weren't quite over him, but I thought it would change."

"So did I."

"I should have seen the signs," Nick said. "They've been there all along. And after the hospital, that should have been it."

Andy swallowed hard. "Nick, I'm so sorry."

He held up his hand. "I just need time, okay?"

She nodded, wiping away the tears.

"Just go," Nick said quietly.

Andy let out a sob as she opened the car door and ran up to her apartment. She knew breaking up with him was the right thing to do, but it was hard – she loved Nick and her heart was breaking for him.

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think. **

**Up next, Sam is slammed with some memories, but which ones and how will they affect him?**


	10. Whirlwind

**Welcome back! As always, thanks for your reviews/follows/favourites – I appreciate all of the feedback and hope you'll continue to let me know what you think!**

**Just so nobody is confused when starting this chapter, a large portion of the beginning is Sam being slammed with memories (in a dream). It's obvious when he wakes up, so that shouldn't be an issue, but I just thought it might help to know that the entire beginning section is basically a collection of memories (parts of scenes from the show). **

**Recap: ****After losing 4+ years of his memory, Sam struggles to figure out what Andy really is to him. He senses Andy is more than just his former rookie, yet despite little things starting to add up, he still can't quite come to terms with what it all means. After seeing Sam and Andy staring at each other at The Penny, Nick realizes that Andy isn't as over Sam as she thinks/says she is... Andy meets Sarah, who gives her a lot to think about… Sam and Andy end up spending time together at a co-worker's party when they discover their friends bailed on them (in a plot to set them up). The night ends with Nick getting upset and Andy breaking up with him.**

Sam was furious to say the least, but at this point he wasn't even sure whether he was angrier with one of his best friends for actually busting his cover, or with the rookie that cuffed him. All he really knew was that right now he wanted nothing to do with either one of them. He was done listening to excuses. "Eight months," he said angrily. "Eight months undercover, living in a hole, cultivating informants—"

"Okay, well I'm sorry for being new, okay—" the rookie said.

"Finally… _finally_ getting people to talk to me," he interrupted, his eyes flicking from the staff sergeant to the rookie. There was no point even looking at Jerry – the guy knew well enough to keep his head down. He glared at the rookie. "And some bambi comes along, first day, and arrests a cop from her own division, trying to be a hero." With a final look at the staff sergeant, Sam stormed out of the office, but not without making one final jab at her. "Thanks pal, friends forever," he said, raising his hand, thankful that she was at least ashamed enough to not look at him anymore. The door slammed shut behind him.

Sam looked over his shoulder, frowning. Instead of the staff's sergeant office, he was now in the changeroom, but the anger was still just as strong as it had been seconds before. He was propelled forward, his leg rising as he slammed it into the locker door again and again.

"Is that working for you, huh?"

He moved to kick the locker door again. She couldn't be serious. Was she insane? Following him in here after he chewed her out in Boyko's office for the last twenty minutes.

"All the slamming and banging? I mean I get your point."

Man did she have attitude. He finally stopped, resting his left palm up against the locker door. This woman must have a death wish. Nothing else would have brought her in there, made her lean up against the wall as if she wasn't even fazed by him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes on the ground, hoping she'd have the sense to just turn around and go.

"I'm being persistent," she said, pausing as she pushed herself off the wall and dared to walk further into the changeroom, throwing her hands up in the air. "You know, I have nothing else going for me today, so you know, when in doubt—"

"I don't like girl guides," he said, flicking the dial on his lock. It was clear she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so he might as well carry on with his business. Maybe she'd get the point.

"I don't like being raked over coals for not knowing the secret handshake," she spat out. There was a small pause. "You know, console yourself, I'll probably be fired."

He remained silent, thinking she'd finally gotten the point, but he was wrong again.

"You know what? There's still a dead guy lying in that house. Oh, and there's another guy running free and clear with a gun. So whenever you feel like this is out of your system, maybe you'd care to act like a cop for five minutes."

He laughed in disbelief and yanked his locker door open. This rookie was definitely crazy. "You've only been a cop for five minutes," he said, finally looking at her, noting the way she stood there, arms crossed in defiance.

Everything seemed to go blurry for a moment before he was able to focus back on her face. "What about the kid in the orange t-shirt?" he asked as he freed his belt from his pants and tossed it in his locker.

"I don't know whom you're talking about," she replied.

"Heard the shots, looked out the window, saw a couple of kids taking off down the fire escape. One of them ran into an empty building. It's a good place to hide a gun."

"Okay, which empty building?" she asked.

"You know, the one right where near you tackled me, tried to kiss me," Sam said.

He blinked and suddenly he was sitting in the driver's seat of a squad car. "It's only a problem because I was burned," he said.

"You mean because I burned you?" Andy replied, looking down.

"Okay, get out of the car. You've got a bunch of paperwork to file, so get in there and start filing it."

"Will you at least tell me where you're going?"

"I'm going to find Emily, okay? What else am I going to do? I haven't got any better ideas, and I'm going to be colouring way outside the lines here McNally and I don't get the feeling you're that kind of girl." He watched as she got out of the car, clearly unimpressed. The second the door slammed shut he pulled away from the curb.

Everything went blurry again. When he could finally focus he found himself standing beside a bar, his entire body tense as he faced Anton Hill. He'd dreamt of taking Hill down for over eight months now, yet here he stood at the mercy of the man. He was stuck: weaponless, without backup, and unsure of how to get out of this mess alive. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. "Just give her back to me Anton," he said, leaning up against the bar as he tried to fake confidence he really wasn't feeling. "Come on, I've got an entire task force dedicated to taking you down. I can have a hundred cops here in a minute."

"I really doubt that," Anton replied, meeting Sam's gaze with an even stare of his own.

"Try me," Sam said.

"Nah, you've got no task force," Anton said, studying him closely. "You screwed up. Now you're on your own."

Sam forced a smile.

"And you're still trying to be the hero."

"It's Emily or I take you in," Sam said.

"Take me in?" Anton replied. "For what? You've got nothing."

"If you hurt her," Sam said, crossing his arms. "So help me."

"People get hurt," Anton said. "It happens. But not usually cops. So, now maybe you should just uh, walk away."

"The perimetre is secure, sir."

Sam looked up to see Andy coming down the back stairs, her weapon drawn. "Officer McNally," he said, trying desperately to keep the shock off his face. What the hell was she doing here? He'd told her to stay at the station. Relief and confusion flooded him. He'd been wrong about her.

"I brought the files," she said, meeting his eyes before throwing the USB to him.

He caught it, then looked back up at her. Was she serious? His eyes flicked to the USB before going back up to her. Were these the files? She seemed too innocent to be able to lie, yet she'd clearly disobeyed his orders, so at this point he was putting a whole lot of trust in her. His eyes lingered on her a moment longer, but she wasn't giving anything away, so he turned back to Hill, USB raised in his right hand. "You're accounting files," Sam said, a smile on his face. "Emily made a copy. Proves you were laundering money. At least we can get you for something."

"Let's see," Anton said, reaching for the USB.

"Emily first… Or I turn this in and you can go to prison," Sam said. "Which, believe me, would make me a _happy_, happy man."

He blinked again and found himself in an apartment standing beside Andy as she reached to pick up a large suitcase.

"I can take it," she said.

"I know, but I've got it," Sam replied, reaching for the other handle. For the first time, he really seemed to look at her and see her as more than just a doe-eyed rookie.

"Okay," she said, a smile forming on her face as she looked up at him.

He couldn't help but smile back as he took Emily's suitcase from her, which only seemed to make her smile bigger.

Sam frowned. He was outside, but it was nighttime and Andy was standing in front of him.

"Were you scared in there?" she asked.

He hesitated, his tongue going to the inside of his cheek as he looked at her. As a small smile formed on his face, he said, "Yeah… You?"

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I mean, you were there."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the amount of trust she already seemed to have in him. Before he knew it, she was holding out her hand to him. He moved his car keys from his right hand to his left, then took her hand in his and shook it. "Let me take you home," he said, his eyes on hers the entire time, their hands still joined.

She laughed, stepping a little closer, a smile on her face as she looked up at him.

His gaze shifted from her lips to her eyes. "McNally," he breathed, a smile flickering on his face. He gently tugged her a little closer, watching as her eyes slid down to his lips, which were now only inches away from hers. But before they could close the gap, she closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"Uh… I can't, I can't… I can't do this, I'm sorry. It's just, this is my first week at work," Andy said, raising her hand to his chest to keep him from coming closer.

He immediately slammed up his walls again. "Yeah, well, like I said, you're not my type."

She gave him an odd look, and it was clear she didn't believe him. "Disregard?" she said.

He moved his hands together in a sweeping motion and stepped backwards. "Disregard," he said, smiling.

Sam blinked again and he found himself in a forest. It was Fall. Leaves littered the ground, causing loud crunching with every step he took. Hearing rustling up ahead, he cautiously approached, until he saw the perp on top of Andy. He rushed forward, his heart pounding heavily in his chest and a blinding fury filling him. He could hear Andy's whimper as the guy pressed his hand against her mouth. The second he was close enough, he threw his body at the perp, tackling him hard and immediately pinning him to the ground as Andy lay gasping for air.

"Ah, ah man," the perp cried out. "Okay, okay, ah my shoulder."

"You okay?" Andy asked a little breathlessly.

Sam turned to find her standing up, gun clutched in one hand as the other attempted to pull her uniform away from her neck in a bid to allow more air into her lungs.

"Right as rain," Sam replied. "How are you doing?"

"You're breaking my shoulder," the perp whined.

"And you're breaking my heart buddy," Sam replied, tightening the cuffs another notch.

"I want a lawyer," the perp said.

"Yeah, we'll get right on that," Andy replied, still panting.

He looked up at her, scanning her for injuries.

Sam blinked again and found himself in a house, kneeling beside Jerry, a pool of blood already seeping out around him. "I've got an officer down, I need medics right away please," he said into his radio.

"1519, units are being sent to your location," dispatch said.

"Jerry," Sam called, panic surging through him. "Jerry… Jerry!" He shrugged his jacket off and grabbed his friend's head, holding it firmly between his hands until Jerry opened his eyes.

"How are you doing Sam?"

"It's okay, we're here buddy, alright?" Sam said, checking Jerry's injury.

"Sam… Sammy, he has her." Jerry said. "He left, he left… my phone is in his pocket."

"His what?"

"My phone is in his pocket," Jerry said.

You put your phone in his pocket?" Sam asked.

Jerry nodded. "Just follow the phone and you'll find him… My phone."

Seconds later Sam was cracking a joke in an attempt to distract his friend from the severity of the injury. "Finally found a use for that cell phone, huh?"

Jerry's breathing became more ragged.

"Jerry, Jerry, stay with me," Sam said. "Jerry? Jerry?" Sam checked his friend's eyes. "That's it, look at me." He continued to speak to the detective until the paramedics pulled him away, blood covering his hands.

Everything changed again. They were in a warehouse. "The drug squad has turned this place upside down, okay?" Sam said angrily. "He's not here. He never was... I suggest you go question your guy Dale again, see where else his Snuffleupagus brother might be, okay?"

"What is your problem?" Andy said. "Look, if he's out there, we need to go find him."

Sam turned back to Andy. "We are _not_ one person, okay? I am tired of following around the voice inside your head… I should have listened to Jerry the other night, instead I listened to you."

"Are you blaming me for Jerry?"

"I blame myself, okay? Because I'm stupid enough to get in the habit of listening to a rookie's instincts instead of my own." He paused and tried to reign in his anger. "I… I really just needed to stay away from you a little, okay? But you had to suck me into your day... I can't do it anymore." He walked away without another word.

He was back outside The Penny. She was standing across from him, crying. "Then leave," she said, lowering her eyes to the wet pavement. "Okay, just get in your truck and go," Andy said.

Sam stood there a moment longer, staring at nothing in particular as the emptiness inside him grew, overtaking the whirlwind of emotions that had been passing through him just moments before. Then, he forced his feet to carry him away, struggling to ignore the sound of her crying, all the while hating himself for leaving her standing there in the rain.

The station materialized in front of his eyes. He was in the kitchen. There was a woman talking to him, and then seconds later her lips were on his. But something didn't feel right. Next thing he knew, he'd turned to find Andy leaning against the doorway, staring at him in disbelief as the woman he'd been kissing walked away.

The kitchen became the hallway, but it looked different – it was packed with officers, most of their movements hurried. He stepped out of a room, his eyes widening as they landed on a man further down the hall. "Ford!" he yelled.

The man turned to face him and pulled the trigger. Sam's feet left the floor as an excruciating pain jolted through his abdomen.

Sam opened his eyes, jerking up in his bed, breathing heavily as his hands flew down to his abdomen. A loud curse escaped him. What the hell was all of that? He rubbed his eyes before looking at the clock. It was five in the morning. Groaning, he fell back against the pillows, lying there for several minutes until his heart rate had slowed. Then, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he headed for the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. It did very little to help though. His entire body was covered in sweat.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again after that, he jumped in the shower, letting the cold-water wash over him. His mind was still reeling from what he'd seen, not even really knowing if any of it had been true. It seemed so real though, and the wound in his dream was where he'd actually been shot. Yet, some of the things he'd seen and felt didn't make sense. Andy didn't make sense. He was either very confused or she was an anomaly. Everything seemed to point back to her though, whether it was something Oliver or Traci had said, or something from his dream. No matter what, she always seemed to be there. More confusing still, was the way she seemed to affect him in his dream – it didn't seem to matter that very little, or perhaps nothing at all, had been good. He'd found himself feeling a lot of things at a higher level than he'd ever experienced, and he really wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

When he pulled into the station parking lot half an hour later, he couldn't help but laugh as a thought struck him. What if he'd had a crush on Andy? He shook his head, still laughing. Sam Swarek having a crush? Now wouldn't that be the day. That would go against everything he'd lived by up until this point. It just wouldn't be simple, and with him, it had always been simple. Nothing too serious, just plain, simple, no strings attached. But nothing he felt and observed in his dream was simple, and as time went on, it was becoming increasingly difficult to deny that maybe he did have some sort of crush on Andy McNally. If that was the case though, how had he hurt her, and why did everything seem so tense between them? He ran a hand through his hair. Maybe Andy had been right, maybe not remembering was easier because the more he found out, the more questions he had and the less sense everything seemed to make.

* * *

"You're here early."

Sam looked up from his desk to find Traci entering the office. "Couldn't sleep," he said, rubbing his face.

Traci frowned. Something was off with her partner. "Everything okay?"

"Ford. Does the name ring a bell?" Sam asked slowly, carefully studying her face.

Her eyes widened. "By name I'm assuming you're not talking about cars?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I mean the guy that shot me."

Traci let out a whistle. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"Does it matter?" Sam asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to admit that he might actually believe something he'd dreamt about, and yet the name clearly meant something, so maybe his dream did too.

"Did Andy tell you? Or Oliver?"

"No," Sam said, frowning. He hesitated, then finally gave in. "Actually, I had a really messed up dream, but I don't really know if it was just a dream or if maybe I'm remembering something."

Traci sighed. "Kevin Ford."

"So he did shoot me?"

"Yeah," Traci replied.

Sam nodded. That was one aspect of his dream confirmed. "Okay and what about a woman… she had dark hair, small…" He paused. "And I may have kissed her in the kitchen here." The last part came out rushed.

Traci stared at him. "Keep that to yourself." If Andy found out that Sam remembered Marlo before he really remembered her, she'd be devastated.

"Who was she?"

"You were seeing her for awhile," Traci said.

Sam frowned. Andy had accidentally let slip that he'd been seeing a bipolar woman at some point – maybe that was the woman from his dreams. "And?"

"And her name was Marlo. She was a cop here, but after the whole Ford thing she was let go."

"So…" Sam began, but he fell silent, frowning. "Wait, one cop was fired and one was suspended. Andy was suspended, and this Marlo woman was fired? And it had to do with Kevin Ford?"

"I can't answer that Sam," Traci said. She wasn't sure if she'd already said too much.

"Okay, well, if I was seeing this woman when I was shot, why haven't I see her since then? It's been months."

"Things were complicated. Your relationship with Marlo was… it was easy, but only because you guys had an emotional distance… Things just got really messed up towards the end and you were taking some space. Then the whole thing with Kevin Ford happened and when she was let go, she just took off." She paused and seeing Sam's confusion, added, "Look, I'm sorry Sam, but she had her reasons."

"And what about McNally?" said Sam slowly.

Traci shrugged. "What about her?" Had he remembered something about Andy after all?

"This doesn't go any further, got it?" Sam asked, and when Traci nodded, he said, "Did I have some kind of…"

"Some kind of what?" she pressed.

"Some kind of crush on her?" Sam said, the words sounding odd to his own ears.

Traci broke out into a smile.

"What?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Traci said, trying to suppress a laugh.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "So?"

Traci hesitated. "Well, it was umm, a kind of crush."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked. "I either did, or I didn't."

She pressed her lips together and refused to look at him, afraid she'd blurt out everything.

He tapped his pen against his desk a few times, then tried another approach. "I did something to hurt her though, didn't I?"

Traci's face became serious. "You both had your share," she said quietly.

Sam frowned. "So whatever it was, it wasn't one-sided?"

"Look, that's all I'm going to say for now," said Traci. "I'm glad you're remembering, but I've already said too much and Frank's going to kill me if he finds out."

Sam nodded, reluctantly admitting that he wasn't going to get anything else out of her at the moment. "Thanks," he said. "I'm going to grab some coffee, you want some?"

Traci shook her head.

* * *

"Hey," said Andy, walking up to the coffee counter in the kitchen where Sam stood.

"Hey," Sam replied, turning to face her. He gave her a small smile, but did his best to hide whatever thoughts and feelings were running through him.

Despite attempting to stifle it, she yawned. "Ugh," Andy groaned, rubbing her face.

"Rough night?"

"Something like that," she said. She grabbed a cup and put it under the machine before looking up at him and noticing that he looked pretty tired too. "You?"

"Yeah." He stared at her, momentarily forgetting that the whole reason he was in the kitchen was to get coffee.

Andy hit the button to start the coffee machine, then turned back to look at him, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks when she realized he was still looking at her. "Everything okay?" she asked a little hesitantly, debating bringing up the night before.

"Just a bad sleep," he replied after a long moment, his eyes still fixed on her face.

"Oh, uh…" Andy began, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. Something in the way he was looking at her made her wonder if he'd remembered something. She waged a war inside her head, her curiosity finally winning out. "Sam, did you—" she began as she reached for her cup of coffee.

A noise behind them interrupted Andy's question. She turned in time to see Nick enter the kitchen, spot them, then immediately turn around and leave again. She unconsciously sighed, her grip tightening on her cup.

Noticing her reaction to Nick's presence, he said, "Did I do something wrong last night… or before?"

"No," Andy replied.

"So_ that_ had nothing to do with last night… or with me?" he asked, referring to Nick's behaviour and her own.

Andy hesitated. Technically it had everything to do with Sam, but it wasn't his fault. "You didn't do anything."

He studied her. She was definitely hiding something. "So that's a no?"

She stiffened.

"Why are you with him?"

Andy's eyes widened as she looked up at him. Had he really just asked her that? "I uh… he's umm…" Why couldn't she just say it? "He's a good guy," she blurted out, quickly averting her eyes.

He raised an eyebrow. Maybe Collins was, maybe he wasn't, but the way she'd said it and the way she was getting flustered made him curious. "So he makes you happy?"

She bit her lip. She wasn't ready for Sam to know they'd just broken up. "Yeah, he's umm… ugh. He's… aren't you going to make your coffee?"

It took a lot of effort not to smile. He turned back towards the counter and reached for his coffee, dumping some sugar in.

"Why are you even asking?" Andy said, turning back to look at him, arms crossed. Although he'd asked her a lot of questions since he'd returned to work, he'd never really been this direct when it came to a personal question about her.

Sam shrugged. "Just trying to get to know you McNally," he said, biting back a smirk.

"By asking me why I'm…" she trailed off. She wasn't even with Nick.

"Why you're with Nick? Yes," Sam said.

"It's complicated," Andy said, rubbing her face again.

"Being with him?"

"What? No. That was easy. Sort of," she said, then groaned. "Look, you want to know me? This is me… I overthink everything. I make things more complicated than they need to be, and even when I try to take the least complicated route or pick the easy way, I just end up being wrong anyway."

Sam frowned. He had no idea what she was talking about. "Did you listen to your gut?"

Andy hesitated. "My gut? Umm, no, not really." She hadn't listened to her gut or her heart. She'd listened to her head, and her head had told her that Nick was the safe choice, the easy choice.

"Then next time listen to it," Sam said, picking up his coffee. His eyes flicked to the clock. "Parade starts in one minute."

She cursed, grabbing her coffee, and flying through the door and down the hallway to parade. He followed a little ways behind, smirking. She was definitely a little peculiar, but not in a bad way.

He took a place at the back of the room, his eyes flicking to where Nick sat and then to where Andy now stood. Even though there were chairs up by Nick, she was standing along the sidewall. His eyes slid back to Nick – the guy looked tired and a little upset. Sam frowned, then focused back on Andy. She was definitely tired – she'd even admitted that much – but instead of looking upset, she looked a little uncomfortable. Clearly, whatever had happened the night before hadn't fully blown over yet.

* * *

_2 weeks later…_

"I haven't seen Collins around lately," said Sam, stepping up beside her. "Did he take time off?"

Andy looked over at Sam, still shocked by his recent interest in Nick. Even after a couple of weeks, she still had no idea what had caused it. Likewise, in those two weeks, she kept noticing that Sam seemed to linger. He'd sought her out on a regular basis to ask her questions before, but this was different. Now he seemed to be around more often, somehow always turning up whenever she needed a ride to The Penny... Not that she minded, she just wasn't sure what had caused the sudden change. "Umm, yeah, something like that," she said, before adding, "He went undercover."

"How long?"

"I don't know."

"You don't seem upset," Sam commented.

Andy shrugged. "It will be good for him... It's a good opportunity."

"You don't miss him?" Sam pressed.

Her movements faltered. "Of course I do, but he needs this. And so do I."

"Because you broke up?"

Andy turned to look at Sam, eyes wide. "What?"

"You're not together anymore, right?" Sam asked slowly.

"Uh, no." She continued walking, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead.

He took the opportunity to study her.

"What?" she asked, confused when he continued to stare at her in silence.

"Nothing."

She paused in front of the changerooms. "Okay, well, umm, I should go," she said, gesturing to her uniform.

He reached out and gently grabbed her arm, causing her to turn back to him. "You're okay?"

Andy searched his face for a long moment before nodding.

"Good," he said, still holding her arm. "You going to The Penny?"

"Not sure yet," she replied.

He hadn't seen her there in awhile, but with Nick and Andy's apparent break-up, her disappearance suddenly made sense. He'd seen Nick at The Penny, with the exception of the last few days when the guy had vanished, and each time Nick was pretty drunk. He couldn't blame Andy for wanting to stay away from that.

"You should get out more," he said.

Andy laughed. "Says the man who lives by bouncing from here to The Penny and home."

"I do other things," Sam argued, although he really had no idea what else he'd been up to in the last four years.

"Yeah, undercover operations and that's about it," said Andy, shaking her head. "But you don't even do those anymore."

Sam shrugged. "Must have had a good reason." He paused. "So are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

He smiled. "Then you should probably go change."

"Are you going to let me?" Andy asked, her eyes flicking down to his hand.

Sam released her and smirked, watching as she retreated into the changeroom.

They were almost at The Penny, when he finally decided to bring up his dream. With a hesitant glance in her direction, he said, "So uh, when you busted my undercover operation and tackled me in the alley, did you try to kiss me?"

Andy burst out laughing. "What the hell, no," she said. "You matched the suspect description and you ran, so I chased you and tackled you. I thought you'd just killed a guy." Andy paused, and turned to look at him, frowning. "Wait, where did that come from? Oliver said that, didn't he?"

"No," said Sam slowly as he pulled into a parking spot outside of The Penny. "Actually, I think I said it to you."

Andy stared at him, stunned.

"So I did say it?" asked Sam when Andy didn't say anything.

She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't try to kiss you."

"Until Emily." He knew he might be pushing it, but he had to know. "After, at The Penny, you almost did, didn't you?"

Andy had long since looked away, her hand gripping the door handle.

"McNally?"

She took a deep breath. "It was a bit of a crazy day, I'd had a couple of drinks, and… nothing happened."

He continued to study her face.

"Was there anything else?" she asked. He could hear her hesitation when she asked that.

"If nothing happened, what did I do to make you cry? Why did I leave you standing out in the rain?"

"Uh," she began, though it was another moment before she found a way to avoid the real reason. She knew exactly what he'd remembered, but there was no way she was going to say he'd just broken up with her. Instead she said, "You blamed me for Jerry's death."

He hadn't been expecting that, and while he could tell she wasn't telling him everything, what she had told him made his chest hurt a little. "Why would I do that?"

"Because we were trying to find leads and Jerry wanted us to talk to one guy, but I wanted to follow up on something else, so Jerry went to talk to the guy instead of us, and…" she fell silent. She couldn't say it. "He shouldn't have been there. If I'd listened we would have been there instead."

"But I told you I didn't blame you. I told you I blamed myself," Sam said. None of this made sense.

"Yeah, I know," Andy said quietly. "But if you didn't blame me, then you wouldn't have broken…" Her brain caught up to her mouth and she pressed her lips together to prevent herself from saying more.

"Broken what?" Sam pressed.

"Uh, broken Oliver's favourite mug," Andy said, trying her best to sound convincing. She silently cursed herself. Breaking Oliver's mug? Really?

He laughed. "You're telling me, I broke Oliver's favourite mug and that means I blame you for Jerry? That's the story you're trying to sell?"

"Yeah," Andy said, cursing herself again when it came out sounding like a question.

"Alright," Sam said, smirking. "Must have been a pretty important mug." He watched as she struggled to school her features. She was such a liar.

Andy shrugged.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She remained silent. She couldn't respond without giving more away.

"What aren't you telling me?" Sam said.

"Can we just go inside?"

He nodded and followed her into The Penny. Despite him sitting in his usual place by Oliver and Andy sitting with the other rookies, they both seemed to meet eyes several times throughout the night.

"What's on your mind buddy?" Oliver asked when Sam didn't even crack a smile at his joke.

"A very important mug," Sam replied, his eyes never leaving Andy.

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think. **

**FYI, this could change, but at this point, I'm going to say this is probably about the halfway mark for this particular story. Some of my other stories might be twice as long though.**

**Up next (unless I add in a new chapter), we're in for a small time jump. Andy's back at work, gets injured on the job, and finds herself with a late night visitor. But who is it? (Again, unless I change it up, in which case this one might become ch.12 instead of 11) The next chapter is called "Late Night Check-Up". Let your imaginations run wild!**


	11. Late Night Check-Up - Part 1

**Welcome back! Thanks for all of your awesome reviews, follows, and favourites. **

**…Alright, so what I told you to expect in this chapter can still be expected, BUT, I've made some changes, drawn some things out, and basically created a new chapter. In other words, that halfway mark I thought we were at last time might not be the halfway mark anymore. BUT if you're getting bored, please let me know and I'll try to refrain from making it longer than 20-21 chapters. There's a lot to cover still, but I'd rather end a story sooner (while you guys are still enjoying it) than draw it out too much and bore all of you. As it is, this chapter is INCREDIBLY long and would have been about 10,000 words if I hadn't moved part of it over to an entirely new chapter (now Ch.13).**

**Also, I apologize in advance. Don't worry, it has NOTHING to do with the content itself (unless you don't like it). I apologize for how this chapter is written. The writing just seems REALLY off to me, BUT, rather than delaying things further, I'm going to just throw this one out there and hope for smooth sailing for the next ones... otherwise you might be stuck waiting for a long while.**

**Recap: After losing 4+ years of his memory, Sam struggles to figure out what Andy really is to him. He senses Andy is more than just his former rookie, yet despite little things starting to add up, he still can't quite come to terms with what it all means. After seeing Sam and Andy staring at each other at The Penny, Nick realizes that Andy isn't as over Sam as she thinks/says she is... Andy meets Sarah, who gives her a lot to think about… Sam and Andy end up spending time together at a co-worker's party when they discover their friends bailed on them (in a plot to set them up). The night ends with Nick getting upset and Andy breaking up with him... Sam has a dream, in which several memories surface. He ends up confronting Andy about some of what he saw, as well as about her breakup with Nick.**

**Part 1**

_Two months after Andy returns to the streets…_

"I don't know how to do this," Andy said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Traci chuckled. "Relax."

"Relax? Really? That's the best you've got?" Andy said. "Every time I open my mouth he pulls apart _every_ little thing I say."

"Because he knows you're hiding something Andy," Traci replied. "You're getting flustered and he can tell."

"Then why does he have to keep asking questions? Why can't he just… Ugh… I don't know." She let out a frustrated sigh. Everything just seemed so complicated.

Traci rolled her eyes. Her friend was so oblivious sometimes. "He's pursuing you."

Andy let out a noise in disbelief. She would have expected something like that to come out of Oliver's mouth, not Traci's. Even when Sam had been with Marlo, Oliver had tried to keep her optimistic, telling her not to give up on Sam. Being bound to silence hadn't necessarily stopped his not-so-subtle hints either. He was constantly warning her not to say too much, but that didn't stop him from nudging her towards Sam on a regular basis. Although, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Traci had been pushing her a lot more recently too. Her friend had ditched her at the party; conveniently left her with Sam. And now Traci was trying to convince her that Sam was pursuing her. She almost laughed at the thought.

"Just think about it… He knows something's off between you guys and he's trying to get you to slip up," Traci reasoned.

"He's not trying to—"

"Andy, did you really think that once he started remembering things he wouldn't fall for you all over again?"

"He's not falling for me Traci," Andy said, exasperated. Not a day had passed since she found out about Sam's amnesia that she hadn't told herself that he'd never fall for her again. In fact, she'd thought about it so many times that, in her mind, it had transformed from a fear to a truth. After all, if she couldn't pinpoint the moment when Sam Swarek had fallen for her, or even figure out how it eventually happened in the first place, then how could she possibly believe that it could happen again? Did she want it to? Yes. _But_ she was finding it increasingly difficult to even try to work her way back into his life without letting her feelings show. It had become significantly harder in the past couple of months in particular. Ever since Sam had confronted her about his dreams and she'd blurted out something about breaking Oliver's favourite mug, she'd fallen into a habit of saying the most ridiculous things whenever the conversation became too personal. She supposed it was better than blurting out another '_I love you'_ at an inopportune time, but at this rate it would be a miracle if Sam didn't think she was crazy. Realizing Traci was giving her an odd look, Andy added, "He's looking for answers and I just keep screwing up. I'm an easy target, that's all."

"He _is_ falling for you," Traci said. Before Andy could argue, she added, "Trust me, I've had to work with him almost everyday since you've been back out on the streets. Two months ago, when you were in here, he was fine, but since then he gets tense every time he watches you walk out that door, and that doesn't change until he sees that you're okay."

"Yeah, whatever," Andy said, scrunching up her face as she buttoned up her uniform. She didn't want to get her hopes up.

"If you quit being so stubborn then maybe you'd see it for yourself." Traci paused, trying to gauge her friend's reaction. "You know, it's been months since you and Nick broke up, and Swarek's—"

"I know," Andy said with a sigh. She adjusted her uniform, then followed Traci out of the changeroom, but only made it a few metres before stopping abruptly. "Oh." It came out sounding small and uncertain.

Traci stopped beside her and followed Andy's gaze. "It's nothing," she said quickly, her eyes landing on Sam. Her partner was talking to a pretty blond, and they were standing pretty close together. She had to admit, it caught her off-guard a little too, but she'd been studying Sam a lot recently and whatever Andy thought she was seeing now, couldn't possibly be true.

"He… he found someone," Andy said, her face falling. She'd waited too long and now Sam was with another woman.

"No," Traci said firmly, shaking her head. "It's a misunderstanding, that's all."

"Then why are they staring at each other like that?" Andy choked out, already trying to retreat to the changeroom. She could feel her heart breaking all over again.

"Let's go find out," Traci said, dragging Andy along with her before she could get away. Her friend put up a bit of a fight, but the second Sam's eyes flicked in their direction, it stopped.

He frowned. Traci's eyes were glued to the woman beside him, her gaze intense with curiosity. Everything about the way she carried herself screamed that she was on a mission. His eyes lingered a moment longer, noting the way her lips twitched, as if she was trying to smile but couldn't quite get one to form. And if that wasn't enough to warn him that she wasn't happy about something, then the obvious tension in her shoulders was. His eyes turned to Andy to find her staring at the floor. Something was off with her as well, even a quick glance could tell him that much – she looked devastated, but he couldn't even begin to guess what caused her current state. All he knew was that in that moment, he wanted to reach out, pull her close, and fix whatever was bothering her. That very thought confused him. He didn't like dealing with people's emotions – he never had – but right now, he wanted to comfort her.

"Sam?" Traci said.

His eyes snapped back to his partner and he realized she'd probably said his name more than once. "Yeah?"

Traci's eyes flicked from Sam to Andy and back again. "Who's your friend?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "My friend?" he questioned, then seeing Traci's eyes flick to his left he silently cursed. He'd somehow already forgotten about the woman. "Natasha Springfield."

The second Sam said her name, Andy look up at the woman, but instead of seeing recognition in her eyes, he could have sworn he saw jealousy. Before he could fully discern it though, Andy's gaze returned to the floor.

After a moment's pause, Traci held her hand out to the woman. "Nice to meet you," she lied. "I'm Detective Traci Nash and—"

"Nash," Sam said, cutting her off. "If you aren't going to use sign language then face her completely and talk slower so she can read your lips..."

Traci frowned. "Swarek—"

"Are you good with sign language?" he interrupted.

"Yes, but—"

"Good because I'm a little rusty and all I've managed to get from her is that her husband is missing, so if you want to take over…?" Sam prodded. He probably could have managed, but his mind was no longer on the woman's husband – it was on Andy.

"So she's here because of her husband? She's here for a case?" Traci asked slowly, subtly nudging Andy, who shot her a look.

"Yeah," Sam said, frowning. Why else would he be talking to a civilian in the station?

"And you've been standing that close to her because she's been reading your lips?" Traci pressed.

"Yeah," Sam repeated, quirking an eyebrow. What was up with his partner today?

"So—"

He cut her off. "So are you going to help her?"

Traci grinned. "Yeah, sure, no problem. I'd be happy to help." She signed to the other woman and they disappeared down the hallway.

Once they were out of sight, Sam turned back to Andy. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Andy said, without looking up at him. She was trying desperately to keep keep the colour from creeping into her cheeks.

"Are you?" That's what he really wanted to know.

Andy nodded.

"Then what was that about?"

"Uh," Andy began, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. She tried to shrug it off. "You know Traci." She laughed a little nervously.

"Starting to," he replied with a nod. "And even I know that was odd."

"Odd? That wasn't odd," she said, biting her lip. "She's fine, totally fine... You know what's _really_ odd?"

"What?" he asked, trying to bite back a laugh. She was doing it again. Her nervous rambling. Biting her lip.

"Uh," she said, scrambling to think of something. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she blurted out, "Oliver."

"Oliver's odd?"

"Umm, yeah," Andy said. It came out sounding like a question.

Sam shook his head and pulled a face that made it look like he was thinking hard. "Maybe, but I think Oliver's mug is odd."

Andy stared at him wide-eyed. Did he...? He couldn't possibly know what she'd meant by Oliver's mug, could he?

He studied her for another moment before chuckling. Ever since he'd questioned her about his dreams on the way to The Penny, she'd been acting oddly toward him. It wasn't bad, but there had definitely been a lot of changes since then. To start, she seemed to get a lot more flustered around him. And, although he still really wasn't sure how she'd fit into his life in the past, he was starting to think she wasn't exactly indifferent to him now.

A quick glance at his watch told him parade was about to start, so he let her off the hook this time and chose to walk with her instead, his hand unconsciously finding its way to the small of her back. Upon stepping into the room, she surprised him by standing beside him instead of taking up her usual seat. He managed to school his features, but couldn't stop himself from looking over at her. He rarely could. His eyes just had a way of seeking her out. Today though, he was consciously watching her. After all, his current partner was acting weird, and now Andy was too, and he wanted to know why. Not that he minded her standing with him; it was just unexpected and he couldn't help but wonder what had changed.

Meanwhile, Andy was mentally kicking herself for her momentary slip, but at the same time, she knew it was a real possibility that the longer she sat back and waited, the greater the chances were that Sam would actually find someone else. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned her head to look at him, neither one able to read the other's expression, yet neither one willing to look away.

It wasn't until Frank had announced assignments for the day and Andy was called out as riding solo that Sam's head snapped to the front. He had to have misheard. When his eyes landed on the board and Andy's name was listed on its own, uneasiness washed over him.

Andy had heard it too, but her attention was still on Sam. Maybe Traci had been right, at least to some extent. He hadn't budged until assignments were announced, and since then, his entire demeanour had changed. He was tense, maybe even a little angry.

The second they were dismissed, Sam was out the door and following Frank to his office. "Why is she alone?" he demanded.

Frank raised his eyebrows. "McNally?"

"Yeah. Why is she riding alone today?"

"Epstein called in sick, but she can handle it. If I didn't think she could, I would have partnered her up with someone else," Frank said, surprised by his friend's behaviour. He hadn't seen Sam this protective of Andy since before the accident. He sighed. "Look Sam, dispatch knows she's riding alone and they won't send her to a scene without backup."

"You really think she's going to listen? If a call comes through and she's closest, she's not going to hesitate if someone needs help," Sam said angrily.

Frank frowned. Sam didn't even remember working with Andy. "Yeah? And you know this how?"

"Because any idiot can see the kind of person she is," Sam said angrily.

"She's going to be fine. She's a good cop."

"I swear if—"

"Sam, get out of my office and get back to work. She's going to be fine," Frank said sharply. On one hand he was happy to see Sam starting to show signs of his old self, particularly where Andy was concerned, but he also didn't want to have to deal with his friend's wrath.

Sam stared at his boss for another moment before leaving the office, letting the door slam a little louder than intended. From there he headed straight to the equipment room and grabbed a spare radio, flicking it on as he headed up to the Detectives' office.

* * *

When Traci returned to the D's office nearly an hour later, she quirked an eyebrow at Sam, but he ignored her silent question. "What did you…" He trailed off as dispatch sent out another call and Andy responded. It was a minor call, just a noise complaint. Probably nothing to worry about. He withheld a sigh as he leaned back in his chair again and looked back up at Traci. "What did you find out?"

Traci frowned, her eyes flicking from the radio to Sam before replying. "The husband is a trucker. Usually does a video chat with his wife twice a day: once in the morning and once at night. Same with the company… But, last night he missed his check-in and nobody has heard from him today… The company said he was on his way back to Toronto."

Sam frowned. It was still a little too soon to be considered a missing persons case, which meant that whatever was in the truck had to be pretty valuable. "Where was his last check-in?"

"Ottawa, but he should have been in Kingston last night," Traci replied. "The wife says they can't track the truck either." She paused again. "I'll have an alert setup for surrounding areas and see if anyone's seen the truck, or him, and hopefully we get lucky."

Sam nodded. "And his cell phone?"

"Out of service."

Again he nodded, his focus already starting to slip. When he finally saw Andy enter the bullpen several hours later, whatever Traci had been saying was lost upon him.

"Sam?" Traci said, waving her hand. She'd never seen her partner this unfocused before.

"Yeah? Uh, hold that thought," he said, rising and heading down to the bullpen to where Andy was currently standing.

"Hey," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Hey," he replied, unconsciously giving her a once over to check for injuries. "How's your shift?"

"Uneventful," she replied. "I swear I'm going to fall asleep if it gets any slower."

"You know, I make pretty good coffee."

"Yeah? You going to make me some?" she teased.

His tongue went to the inside of his cheek. "I don't know McNally. There might be a cost involved and I'm not so sure you're willing to pay it." As he spoke, he backed her towards the coffee station.

Andy swallowed hard as she searched his face. She knew exactly what that implied with the Sam she'd been partners with, but the man in front of her barely remembered her so she really wasn't sure how to take it. "Yeah, and what's that going to be Detective?"

"Swarek," Traci called out, hanging up her cell phone. "We've got a lead."

Sam quickly made Andy's coffee. "We'll settle it later," he said with a smirk as he handed her the cup and turned to follow Traci. He glanced over his shoulder once to see Andy taking a sip. "Enjoy it McNally because that's not going to come cheap." The way her face flushed told him that she knew he wasn't talking about money, although if he was honest with himself, he wasn't entirely sure what he meant yet. He turned back to Traci, who shot him a questioning look. "Just looking to replace a mug."

Traci's face scrunched up in confusion as she looked over at her partner. "I'm not even sure I _want_ to know that means."

He laughed. "I'm still not sure I even know what that means."

* * *

_An hour later…_

"We have a B&E at 562 Ontario Street, unit 501," dispatch said.

"This is 1504, I'm two minutes out," Andy said into her radio.

"Copy 1504. The suspect may be armed; wait for backup."

Andy let out a frustrated sigh as she flicked the sirens on and headed to the location. Once there, she got out of her car, but lingered near the front, her eyes periodically flicking to the street for signs of backup. "Come on," she muttered. "Hurry up."

The door beside her swung open and a woman tumbled through.

Andy immediately reached forward to help, but the woman scrambled to her feet. "There's screaming and gunshots," the woman cried.

"Fifth floor?" Andy asked, her heart pounding.

The woman nodded.

"How many shots?"

"Uh… Three... I think… Maybe four."

Andy nodded and took a deep breath. "What's your name?"

"Lisa Midgeon."

"Okay Lisa, I need you to do something for me. I need you to find somewhere safe right now. Somewhere inside. Stay away from the windows, and don't open the door for anyone unless it's a cop. Can you do that?"

Lisa nodded.

"Good, then go," Andy said, as she stepped through the doorway, her gun drawn as her hand reached for her radio. "Dispatch, this is 1504, a woman in the building just reported three or four gunshots; I'm heading up now to check it out."

* * *

"562 Ontario Street?" Sam said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"Sam, dispatch already called for backup."

"Yeah, but we're only a few minutes out… probably closer than they are," Sam said. "And she just reported gunshots; she's not going to wait for anyone."

"Okay," Traci agreed. They were on their way back to the station anyway, and knowing Andy, Sam was probably right. "But nothing stupid, okay?"

Sam ignored her and turned the car around.

**NOTE: This isn't the end of the chapter. Apparently I wrote too much to be able to separate the scenes with a line, so I had to cut the chapter in half and post Part 1 & 2 back-to-back so that the formatting would go through. SO, read on, Part 2 is already up.**


	12. Late Night Check-Up - Part 2

**PART 2**

**Note: This is Part 2 of the "Late Night Check-Up" chapter. I wrote so much that I had to split the chapter in half to get the formatting to go through, so if you haven't read Part 1 (they were posted back-to-back), then I suggest you go back and read it or you're going to be a little confused. Thanks!**

Andy cleared the main room, swallowing hard as she spotted the body on the floor. Keeping her eyes on the doorways, she pressed her radio. "This is 1504, we have a possible D.O.S… gunshot to the head. Shooter is still—"

A gunshot rang out, causing Andy to drop down behind the couch.

"1504, what's your status?" dispatch said.

Andy moved toward the end of the couch, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. "Perp is in the unit, armed with a gun." She poked her head around the edge, tucking it back in just as the man fired. After a deep breath to try to settle her nerves, she called out, "Put the gun down and come out in the open."

The man fired again.

Where the hell was her backup? She took another deep breath, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants before gripping her gun again. "You don't want to do this," she called out. "It's not going to end well unless you put the gun down."

Silence.

She'd known it was stupid to respond alone, but the thought of kids potentially being in danger had her throwing caution to the wind. Now she was paying for it. "Look, just put it down okay? I just want to talk."

Silence.

Pushing herself onto her knees, she poked her head up above the couch, ducking down seconds later as another shot was fired. "I'm trying to make sure both of us come out of this alive, but I can't guarantee that the next person who walks through that door won't shoot to kill you, so put the gun down now and slide it over."

Still no verbal response.

Her eyes flicked towards the door. If backup walked through there, chances are the guy could shoot them before they'd even spot him. She could only hope that he didn't have any rounds left by the time they arrived. With that in mind, she looked around for a loose object. Something hard, but not too heavy. Her eyes landed on bowl on the end table. It wasn't what she'd been hoping for, but it would have to do. Crawling to the other end of the couch, she grabbed it, then returned to her previous position, taking a deep breath before hurling it in the direction of her attacker. Seconds later she had her gun on him.

The brief distraction caused the man to throw up his arms to protect himself.

"Put it down," Andy said, now standing out in the open, her gun trained on the man's chest. "Slowly."

The man hesitated, then set the gun on the ground and kicked it over.

She cautiously approached him, pulling out her handcuffs and only holstering her gun when she was close enough. "Hands behind your back."

He obeyed, but before she could get both cuffs secured, he shoved her hard, causing her to fall onto the glass coffee table.

Andy cried out as the corner sliced into her leg just seconds before her entire body fell, the thin glass shattering beneath her weight. Unable to get her hands out to protect herself, her head hit the floor hard, leaving her slightly dazed. A groan escaped her as she forced herself to roll onto her back, barely managing to flip herself over before the guy was on her, his hands wrapped around her throat. She struggled against him, her eyes frantically searching for her gun, but it was several feet away. Too far to reach. As her vision started to go, she grabbed hold of a shard of glass and slashed his cheek.

A shrill cry escaped him as he stumbled back, giving her enough time to throw her body forward and slap the other cuff closed. As she moved to pin him, she took in a few sharp breaths, struggling to get enough oxygen back in.

Her eyes snapped up, upon hearing something in the hallway. Seconds later the door flew open. A surge of panic went through her, but it was quickly replaced with relief as Sam and Traci stepped into the room, followed closely by Oliver and Chris. The tension immediately began to fall from her entire body.

"Alright McNally, we'll take it from here," Oliver said gently.

She moved off the guy, gently rubbing her throat as her eyes scanned the surrounding area. Remembering her gun, she turned to grab it, only to find it gone. She frowned, until she felt something bump her side. Looking down, she caught Sam sliding her gun into its holster. Her eyes shot up to him, confused. Why was he here? "Wasn't Luke called in for homicide?" she said, still panting a little.

He looked down at her, scanning her for injuries. "You came in here without backup," he said angrily, as he counted at least three wounds. One to the head, one to the hand, and the makings of a bruise on her neck. "You could have died, and you're worried about who the homicide detective is?"

Andy's eyes widened, her gaze flicking from Sam to Traci and back again. "I…" She fell silent as the expression on his face changed.

"You're a danger magnet," he said, flashes of Andy stepping out of a half-burnt down building hitting him.

Her eyes narrowed. "I was doing my job," she said angrily.

"Doing your job doesn't mean you have to throw yourself into dangerous situations," Sam said. He could sense several pairs of eyes on him, but he didn't care. He'd been worried about her, _really _worried, and this was one thing he needed to understand, one thing that he couldn't just let go.

"Like you're one to talk," she snapped.

That got his attention. His eyes flicked up to her face. He hesitated a fraction of a second before throwing out one jab that he knew would cause her to say what she really meant. "Well, seeing how I _am_ a senior officer – detective even – then I'd say that stands for something."

Her jaw dropped. Had he really just thrown his seniority in her face? "Yeah? And what does that stand for Sam because the scar you have from being shot tells another story… and you know what that is? It's that you can shove your seniority up your—"

Oliver cleared his throat.

She fell silent for a brief moment, but couldn't keep it in any longer. "You can't even throw that in my face when _you_ were stupid enough to disobey Frank's order and leave the station. _You_ left your vest and your gun because you couldn't stop for one second to actually talk about things... What happened here, that's part of the job Sam and I wasn't running from it, so the next time you even think _that_ crap means something, maybe you should think about the fact that I could have been shot doing something meaningful. _You_ were shot because you gave up. You couldn't handle it. And yeah, you may have saved Nick's life, but you wouldn't have even be shot in the first place if you hadn't let your own personal issues get in the way... If you hadn't tried to run. So don't you dare tell me how to do my job because from where I'm standing, you've screwed up just as much as me."

"Andy," Oliver said sharply.

She let out a shaky breath, then turned away from Sam, grimacing as the movement caused pain to shoot through her leg. Without a word to anyone, she limped towards the door, letting it slam shut behind her.

Sam stared at her retreating back, his mind racing. What exactly was she accusing him of running from? He hesitated a moment longer before heading towards the door.

"Sammy, give her some space," Oliver said, trying to block his friend's path.

"Back off," Sam growled.

Oliver hesitantly stepped away. "Don't do this," he warned.

Sam ignored his friend and slipped out into the hall, easily catching up to Andy. He was determined to get answers, but the second he stepped up beside her and saw her tearstained face, his priorities shifted.

She hastily tried to wipe away the tears and turn her face away from him, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

Before he could change his mind, he reached forward and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. He knew there was a good chance that she'd hit him, but the punch never came. Instead, she threw her arms around his middle and held him tight as another sob escaped her. They stood like this for several minutes until she stopped trembling and he felt a sense of calm wash over him. "I didn't mean it," he said quietly. "I just needed to know…"

Andy pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him. "I…" Her eyes shifted to the floor. She felt terrible about what she'd said, especially since she was fairly certain that deep down she knew why he'd said it.

"Come on," he said, pulling away so he could wrap one arm around her and help her towards the elevator. Even once they were inside it, he continued to hold her. "I was worried about you."

The admission had her head snapping in his direction.

"We didn't come because of the body; Callaghan will be taking that," Sam added, staring at the elevator doors.

She felt a little flutter in her chest, but tried to ignore it. Just because he was worried about her didn't mean he felt something beyond friendship or a co-worker relationship with her.

The rest of the walk to her car was done in silence. "Sit," he said, tapping the hood of the car.

Her eyebrows shot up.

"You're going to the hospital," Sam said, giving her a sharp look in case she tried to argue. "But we might as well try to slow the bleeding first."

She hesitated, then slid up on the hood of the car.

When Sam returned with the emergency kit, he looked at her and frowned, but said nothing as he worked on cleaning the cut on her forehead, hand, and leg. It was when he was putting a bandage on her leg that he could feel something tugging at the back of his mind, but it wasn't until he was putting the unused supplies away that it finally broke through.

* * *

"Sorry," he said, upon hearing her draw in a sharp breath. He was trying to be as gentle as possible, but her scuffle in the forest with Ray Donald Swann had left a gouge in her leg and no matter what he did, it was bound to hurt a little.

"It's okay," she said quietly, despite wincing.

This wasn't how he thought the day would go. "I cannot wait to get back to civilization." He was sick of the forest. Sick of Ray Donald Swann. He just wanted to go home and sleep, or drink a beer and then sleep. Either way, it would be better than this.

"You haven't done a lot of camping, huh?" Andy said.

"What? You mean like with a tent?" he asked, looking up at her.

"My dad used to take me every summer," she replied.

"I told you I'm more of a city boy. In the summer my sister and I used to go to day camp. Parks and rec..." He glanced up at her before grabbing a bandage. "We did try to go to the beach this one time. We were on a bus about half an hour out of town and Sarah kind of freaked out." He wrapped the bandage around her leg.

"Was she afraid of the water?" Andy asked.

"She was afraid of… uh, everything," he said. "When she was thirteen, Sarah was attacked by this group of guys." He paused for a few seconds. "Got pretty messed up by it. I was only nine at the time. I didn't really get it. I tried everything to cheer her up."

"Hence the joke book," Andy said.

"Yeah," he replied. "Nothing really worked."

"You were nine years old; I'm sure you did everything you could."

"She didn't uh, need cheering up," he said as he pulled her pant-leg back down. "She just needed someone to protect her."

"So you became a cop."

They met eyes and he nodded. "Your leg is good to go, do you want to try putting some weight on it?"

"Yeah," she said, sliding off the hood of the car and taking hold of his hand. When her feet were firmly on the ground she tested her leg out. "It's great, thank you."

"I'm really sorry for freaking out on you," said Sam, studying her. He paused for a long moment before adding, "Look, whatever happened between us…" He hesitated, swallowing the rest of the sentence. "You know, Luke's a good guy… he's reliable, solid."

* * *

Sam blinked hard, his eyes flicking left and right before landing on Andy. He was in the city, not the forest, and she looked concerned.

"Sam, are you okay?"

He stared at her for a long moment, a frown forming on his face. He'd never remembered that much while conscious, but the situation had seemed so familiar. The leg wound, her being strangled, the hood of the squad car.

"Sam?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." The worry was still in her eyes, so he forced a smile. What had happened between them? Had something even happened between them? Was that why the odd time he'd run into Luke the guy gave him a cold shoulder? His mind still on his memory, he found himself echoing the words. "Your leg is good to go, do you want to try putting some weight on it?"

"Yeah," she replied.

He held out his hand and helped her off the hood of the car.

"Thank you," she said.

Sam merely nodded, though his eyes never left her face. He'd told her about Sarah. The only other people that knew were Oliver, Jerry, and Frank. His mind raced. Although Andy had denied that anything had happened between them, something _had_ to have happened. What it was, he still had no idea, but he was certain that it wasn't nothing.

"Swarek, homicide's here, so we've gotta go," Traci yelled as she stepped out of the building. "They found Springfield's body twenty minutes east of here."

He hesitated, turning back to Andy. "Do you want a ride?"

"I'll be fine," Andy replied, giving him a small smile. Whatever had happened upstairs was momentarily forgotten. When he still hadn't moved, she said, "Go."

"Get Diaz to take you to the hospital," he said, giving her one final look before leaving.

* * *

_Later that night_…

Andy's mouth fell open upon seeing Sam standing on the other side of her door.

"Hey," she said, trying to mask her uncertainty and confusion over his sudden appearance at her place. They'd had a really odd day. Between the misunderstanding in the morning, the coffee, the fight, and the way Sam had looked at her after tending to her injuries, she had no idea what to expect now.

"Hey," he replied without looking up at her. He really wasn't sure how she'd react to his appearance, but the fact that she hadn't slammed the door in his face was a good sign.

"Uh, do you want to come in?" she asked a little hesitantly, stepping aside so there was room for him to walk through the doorway.

Sam nodded, but said nothing as he stepped inside.

Andy bit down on her lower lip as she closed the door and waited for him to speak. When he didn't, she said the first thing that came to mind. "How did you find me?"

"Traci," he replied. "But I think I know this building... I think I've been here." It seemed familiar, yet he couldn't quite remember it.

She frowned, wondering what he remembered. "Oh," she said, biting her lip again. "So umm…" she began, but hesitated, debating whether she should outright ask him why he was standing in her apartment so late at night.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, finally meeting her eyes.

She gave him a small smile. He'd been at the scene; he'd seen that she was fine. She hadn't seen him since then, but surely he knew that nothing had changed? That she'd clearly been on his mind had her heart fluttering again. "I'm fine," she said quietly, almost shyly.

His eyes shifted to the slight bruising on her neck where the guy had tried to choke her – it was more prominent now than it had been at the scene. And the way she was standing suggested she was putting most of her weight on her uninjured leg. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I could be better," she said, laughing a little. "But I really am fine."

The corners of his mouth curled upward, but it didn't last long. She had been alone today, and she could have died.

Andy knew that look. He really had been worried about her. The thought almost made her smile, but she managed to hold it back. "Really Sam, I'm fine. I just slipped up and he got the better of me for a moment."

He hesitated, then moved her hair away from her neck and gently turned her head to the side so he could take a closer look at the bruising. His eyes examined each mark as his fingers lightly trailed over her skin. "He could have killed you," he said, his voice cracking.

She turned back to him so she could look him in the eye, not realizing until that moment just how close he'd gotten. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his breath fan out across her face. In an attempt to keep herself from doing something stupid, she started to step backwards, but he followed her, matching every step she took with one of his own. Her mind raced. She opened her mouth to speak, but found it difficult to form anything coherent. "But he didn't," she finally managed. "This job is dangerous… things happen… but I'm okay."

Her back hit the wall and she became very conscious of the fact that Sam's hand still lingered at the base of her neck. He'd never broken contact with her, despite them having moved several metres. Again, she had to wonder what he was doing at her place, and what was running through his head as he looked down at her now. As her eyes shifted upward, she found herself suddenly squirming under the intensity of his gaze. Her heart rate had skyrocketed the moment he touched her, but now that there was nowhere to go, her breathing was definitely heavier and despite her attempts to control it, she was pretty sure he'd noticed. Panic coursed through her as she felt her walls crumble under his gaze. She had to look away. She had to push him away. She had to do something before she gave everything away. But she couldn't. And the longer she stared back at him, the more she felt her control slip. Her mind was still screaming at her to push him away, but her arms remained glued to her sides. So instead, she tried to speak, but found she couldn't trust her voice or thoughts. All she could manage was one small word, and even that came out in a whisper. "Sam."

A small smile touched his lips. The look on her face and her breathing were enough to tell him what he needed to know. He pressed his other hand up against the wall he'd backed her into, completely boxing her in, then waited another moment, enjoying watching her squirm. When she let out a frustrated sigh, he smirked and leaned in to kiss her.

The second their lips touched he felt a shiver run through her, but soon after, she tensed, and for a brief moment he considered pulling away. Instead, he removed his hand from the wall and placed it on her hip. Something about the action seemed to get her to relax and, whether she was conscious of it or not, she opened her mouth and gave him access. Sam didn't hesitate. He deepened the kiss and tugged her closer, his own heart skipping a beat as her arms slid up behind his neck.

Pulling her flush up against him, his hand shifted from her hip and slowly moved up her spine to the back of her neck. It was only when he felt her knees buckle that he eased up a little, softening the kisses until he forced himself to pull back. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked stunned but oddly content.

Andy blinked hard, her eyes slowly making their way back up to his. Had that really just happened? Or had she completely lost it and just imagined everything? Maybe she was dreaming. Having a _very_vivid dream. If that was the case, then why did he stop?

Sam took a deep, steadying breath. He wanted to kiss her again – do more than just kiss her – but he needed time to think, and he suspected she did too. "Get some sleep McNally," he said, his lips brushing up against hers. Seconds later he was gone, the apartment door clicking shut behind him.

Andy stared at the door, the fingers of her left hand touching her lips. What did that mean? Sam Swarek had never kissed her like that and just left. Hell, if he'd kept that up for another minute she probably would have thrown caution to the wind and jumped him. But he left. Sam Swarek left, and all she could think about was if Sam thought he'd made a mistake. If he'd kissed her and didn't really feel anything after all. Should she have stopped him from leaving? Or from kissing her? A range of emotions coursed through her. What had she done?

**Thanks again for reading! Thoughts/reactions/predictions? **

**Up next... After Sam's late night visit, Andy's left feeling pretty confused. All she wants is to be back out on the streets, but with her new injury, Frank has her sitting behind a desk again. Of course, it's not just any desk – she's been assigned to help the D's. So, what do you get when you have Sam Swarek and Andy McNally stuck in the same room after a heated moment the night before? Should make for an interesting shift, right? Hope to see you around for the next chapter.**

**Happy Fourth of July to those of you living across the border, and a delayed Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! And for those of you who aren't celebrating anything right now, I hope you have a great weekend!**

**I also post story and chapter updates on Twitter. **RB_ADI2DE


	13. The Law of Attraction

**Welcome back! Based on my stats, it looks like almost half of you ****_only_**** read Part 2 of the last "chapter", so just a quick reminder: Ch.11 (Part 1) and Ch.12 (Part 2) called "Late Night Check-Up" were posted at the same time, so if you didn't read both chapters together, I suggest going back.**

**And, as always, thank you guys for your reviews, follows, and favourites! I'm glad nobody seems to have any issues with the ever-increasing length because (surprise!) this chapter wasn't planned either. **

**…Now, some of you have asked (at one point or another) for something to be included in this story, so I've managed to work a few of those requests into this chapter as a way of saying thank you… (BekaRoo) another Leo appearance, (Guest) minor flirting to make Sam jealous, etc. **

**AllMcSwarek – Photos will be addressed later on. That chapter has been written since about September (all of the major parts of this story have been), so you just have to wait a bit longer. It's coming up REALLY soon though. Buuuut I will say, be careful what you wish for because I have a feeling that the outcome you want from the photos isn't exactly what you're going to get! (Don't worry too much though…) **

**Sam 'Dimples' Swarek – As discussed, you won't get the interrogation room scene in this particular story; there is an observation room moment though. For the interrogation room scene, you'll have to wait for a story I haven't posted yet called "Playing with Fire". **

**If your request hasn't been addressed, it doesn't mean that I don't like your idea or value your opinion. I LOVE all of the feedback you guys provide, so please keep it up! If there's something you want to see, and I can find a way to incorporate it into the story without altering the direction, etc., I'm willing to give it a shot. **

**Recap: After losing 4+ years of his memory, Sam struggles to figure out what Andy really is to him. He senses Andy is more than just his former rookie, yet despite little things starting to add up, he still can't quite come to terms with what it all means. After seeing Sam and Andy staring at each other at The Penny, Nick realizes that Andy isn't as over Sam as she thinks/says she is... Andy meets Sarah, who gives her a lot to think about… Sam and Andy end up spending time together at a co-worker's party when they discover their friends bailed on them (in a plot to set them up). The night ends with Nick getting upset and Andy breaking up with him... Sam has a dream, in which several memories surface. He ends up confronting Andy about some of what he saw, as well as about her breakup with Nick… Andy sees Sam talking to a pretty blond and gets jealous, only to find out it's the wife of a missing man. Andy ends up riding alone and gets injured on the job. This causes some memories to surface for Sam. He ends up going to her place to check on her late at night, but ends up kissing her when he picks up on the sudden shift in her breathing, etc. When he leaves rather abruptly, both of them are left feeling confused and uncertain. **

Andy tossed and turned for hours, her mind on the kiss. The way his lips felt. His hands, a little rough from callouses, but his touch gentle as his hands moved across her body. His smell. God he smelled good. Always had. She groaned. What the hell had he been thinking? What had _she_ been thinking? And why did he just leave like that? She let out a frustrated sigh, almost hoping that he was suffering as much as she was at the moment.

After staring up at the ceiling for a couple more hours, she pulled herself out of bed, showered, and made her way to the station. She had some paperwork to complete from the day before so she figured she might as well get a start on that. It wasn't until she'd changed into her uniform and was in the bullpen that she realized _he_ was there too. Swallowing hard, she sat down so her back was to him and pulled out the appropriate documents. Within seconds she could sense eyes on her and knew without a doubt that he was watching her.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she picked up a pen, intent on ignoring him, but all she could think about was what was going on in his head. Did he regret kissing her? Did he want to kiss her again? Did he have any idea how she felt? How did he even feel?

When at last officers began to file into the bullpen, she abandoned her paperwork and attempted to engage a few of them in conversation. Not knowing most of them too well, however, she found her eyes scanning the area for her closest friends – pretty much anyone who could be a reasonable distraction. When after ten minutes she grew tired of small talk and her friends still hadn't made an appearance, she headed for the coffee station, her hands trembling slightly as she dumped some milk and sugar in her cup. As she stirred her coffee, she risked glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the D's office, a little startled when she found herself meeting Sam's eyes. Her gaze lingered for a brief moment, but, unable to read his expression, her head soon snapped back to her coffee. She could feel her face heating up. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to regain her cool.

"You okay McNally?" Oliver asked, stepping up beside her.

Andy opened her eyes, but instead of looking at him, she stared at her coffee. "Uh huh," she rushed out before grabbing her coffee and briskly walking to the parade room, ignoring the pain that was shooting through her leg.

Oliver turned to watch her leave, frowning, before his eyes swept the area and eventually landed on Sam. His friend's gaze was fixed on Andy until she vanished from sight. For a brief moment, Oliver wondered if the tension from the day before had carried over, but something seemed different.

Andy exhaled deeply as she stepped into the parade room and slumped down in a chair near the front. She needed to calm down. Stop acting so jumpy. No doubt Oliver knew something was wrong. She cursed and threw her head into her hands. She was so screwed.

* * *

Sam entered the parade room and smirked upon seeing Andy with her head in her hands. He'd been watching her since she'd stepped foot in the bullpen, and it was clear she hadn't slept well either. Although he suspected it had something to do with what happened the night before, he didn't want to automatically assume that, so he decided to test his theory. When he reached the front of the room, he intentionally moved and positioned himself near her, setting his files down rather loudly on the table just inches away from her elbows. As her head snapped up, he took up a spot on the edge of the desk and looked down at her, watching as her eyes widened and her body stiffened.

"Did you sleep well McNally?"

"Great," she lied, averting her eyes and keeping them focused on her coffee.

He quirked an eyebrow, sensing she was lying. Even without the dark spots under her eyes, it was obvious. "Good," he replied. "How are you feeling?" He took her injured hand and gently flipped it over, checking to make sure it was still wrapped up nicely, but mainly doing it to gauge her reaction. Feeling the slight tremble in her hand, he bit back a smirk.

"Fine," she said, silently cursing as she felt her cheeks warm up at the contact. Her eyes frantically scanned the room for a familiar face. Seeing Chris enter and move to sit directly behind her, she grabbed his arm and yanked him towards her, practically shoving him into the seat beside her.

"Whoa there Andy," Chris said. "Are you alright?" His eyes shifted to where Sam's hand still held Andy's. "Oh."

Sam's eyes flicked from one cop to the other. Chris was staring at her, giving her a questioning look, while Andy had a pleading look in her eyes. Frowning, Sam set her hand back down on the table, picked up the files, and backed off a little, though his gaze remained on her the entire time. Something wasn't right. She'd kissed him back the night before, yet right now, it almost seemed like she regretted it.

Throughout parade, Andy kept her eyes lowered, regardless of whether Frank or Sam was speaking. It wasn't until assignments were announced that her eyes snapped up, shooting in Frank's direction.

"McNally, you're working with the D's today."

It took all of her willpower to clamp her mouth shut, locking the hot coffee in her mouth instead of spraying it all over. Unfortunately, she tried to breathe at the same time and ended up choking on it.

Chris patted her on the back, giving her an odd look when she could finally get some oxygen back in her lungs. He wasn't the only one. All eyes seemed to be on her. Pressing her lips together, she stared at the small scratch on the desk and did her best to ignore everyone. She knew Frank wouldn't let her go back out on the streets yet, but she'd been expecting desk duty, not an entire shift with the detectives… with Sam.

* * *

The second parade ended, Andy left. Sam was pretty sure that if her leg wasn't injured, she would have sprinted. Either way, she was moving fast.

Frank watched her go before turning to look at Sam, eyes slightly narrowed. "Anything I should know about?"

Sam looked over at his friend. "No." Before anymore questions could be asked, he left, heading directly for the D's office. Andy was already there, but there was no sign of Traci.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to one of the chairs.

Andy hesitantly sat, her eyes looking around for something to occupy herself with.

Taking up a chair across from her, Sam reached into the desk and withdrew a small ball. Tossing it to her, he said, "You look stressed."

Her eyes flicked up to him. "I'm not—"

"You are," he said, cutting off her attempt to argue. "And you didn't sleep well either," he added as he opened one of the files.

"You didn't either," she retorted.

"Didn't say I did McNally."

She squeezed the ball, then shifted it from hand to hand. How was she going to last an entire day in the D's office when she clearly couldn't hide anything from him?

Sam looked up at her, tapping his pen against the desk as he studied her and tried to figure out what was going on in her head. She'd almost died the day before. And for the first time, she'd truly been open with him – no holding back, or at least very little. But, she'd also accused him of giving up and letting his personal issues get in the way, and that bothered him. He really had no idea what he gave up on, or rather, what _she_ thought he gave up on, but letting his personal issues get in the way of the job just didn't sound like something he'd do. It sounded stupid. And what reason would he have had for doing something like that?

And then she'd cried in his arms. _That_ had been different. Sure he'd tried to comfort his sister when she was younger – after the incident – but since then he hadn't become emotionally attached to anyone in a way that would require it. Not really anyway. Yeah, he had his friends' backs, but Frank had Noelle and Oliver had Celery. They didn't need him for the really serious stuff. But yesterday, Andy had let him comfort her. After everything that had been said, she'd let him hold her. But that wasn't even what shocked him the most. He'd _wanted_ to hold her. He'd initiated it. And although he really didn't know what to do or what to say, it didn't feel wrong or forced. It just was.

He was momentarily snapped out of his thoughts when Traci entered the office, quirking her eyebrow at the two of them. Realizing Andy was still watching him, he smirked.

That got a reaction from her. She snatched a file from his hands and flipped it open, immediately busying herself with its contents.

Stifling a yawn, he attempted to turn his attention back to one of the other files in front of him, but within minutes, he found his mind wandering again. She was confusing. Unpredictable… mostly. He really had no idea what to think when it came to her. One second it seemed like she was almost flirting with him, but the next second she was stepping back and slamming up mile-high walls. He'd been watching her a lot though – he really couldn't even deny it since he was well aware of the fact – and when he looked back at things now, he realized that the times she was most closed off were when other people were around. In those moments, she became reserved and rather formal. On her own, with him, she was different. On her own, she'd kissed him back. She'd wanted him to kiss her.

He shifted uncomfortably. He really hadn't meant to do it. Hadn't planned on it. One thing led to another and before he knew it, he found himself reacting to her. And it felt good. Surprisingly good. Better than good. In a really weird way, it kind of felt right. Which was why he couldn't understand her behaviour this morning. Sam's eyes flicked up to her face. He needed a plan. A way of getting her to open up again. To say what she really meant.

* * *

"I'm going to grab more coffee. Either of you want some?" Traci asked, getting up from her chair and stretching a little.

Sam shook his head.

"I'll come," Andy said, getting up so quickly her chair toppled over. Since Traci was already halfway out the door, she abandoned her chair and took off after her, too embarrassed to look Sam's way.

"What was that about?" Traci asked, laughing as they walked through the bullpen.

Andy bit down on her lower lip, but remained quiet.

"Did something happen with you and Swarek?" Traci asked, eyes wide.

"Shhh," Andy said, grabbing Traci's arm and dragging her down the hallway and into the kitchen.

Traci stood with her hands on her hips. "Spill."

"I…" Andy began, nervously shifting from foot to foot as she started making her coffee. "Umm…"

"Spit it out," Traci said. "I have a feeling this is going to be good."

Andy stared at her friend in disbelief. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she accused.

"Oh come on Andy, it can't be that bad," Traci said, rolling her eyes. Whatever had happened, it had probably been a long time coming.

"He kissed me," Andy blurted out.

"Swarek kissed you? Like _kissed_ you, or…"

"He _kissed_ me," Andy said. "As in, he stopped by my place last night, backed me into a wall, and kissed me."

Traci chuckled. "It's about time."

Andy's mouth fell open. "Didn't you… aren't you…?"

"Calm down," Traci said, trying to hold back another laugh. "Tell me what happened? Did you kiss him back?"

"Yeah, I kissed him back." Andy said, not to thrilled about the fact that her tone held an 'of course I did, stupid' vibe to it.

"So what's your problem? He kissed you, you kissed him. This is good. Progress."

"Traci, I shouldn't have kissed him in the first place. If Oliver or Frank find out…"

"Then what? You didn't tell him anything, so you didn't do anything wrong," Traci said, folding her arms across her chest.

Andy shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. He left, and now I don't even know what's going on... For all I know, maybe he thinks it was a mistake. I mean, he's been acting weird _all_ morning."

"Well, so have you," Traci pointed out. "You guys have been staring at each other almost non-stop."

Andy let out a frustrated sigh.

"Look, if things were reversed and Steve kissed me like that without remembering me, I wouldn't have hesitated to jump his bones. So, what are you waiting for?"

"I probably would have if he hadn't left," Andy admitted, biting down on her lower lip. "But it didn't happen, and it's not going to…" She fell silent as Gail stepped into the kitchen.

"Why? Are you going to wait until he gets a girlfriend, then shamelessly flirt with him, split them up, and sleep with him?" Gail said as she reached for a coffee cup. "You know you're good at that."

Andy's mouth fell open, her eyes widening in surprise. "Gail, that's not how it was with Nick," she said. "You guys weren't together anymore."

"You still slept with him."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Andy said, exasperated. "I didn't—"

"Yeah, you're sorry because it didn't work out… Because _you_ actually screwed up and you don't know how to deal with that."

"That's not—" Andy began.

"Save it," Gail said. "I don't want to hear it."

"Time to get back to work," Traci interrupted, pulling Andy out of the kitchen and back towards the D's office. When they were far enough away, she said, "Don't worry about Gail. She'll come around."

Andy shook her head. "I've tried apologizing before, but if she hasn't forgiven me by now, I don't know if she ever will."

"Just give her more time," Traci said, giving her friend a reassuring smile.

"And what about Sam?"

"What about him Andy?" Traci said, laughing. "You've worked together for years."

"Yeah but—"

"But what? The only difference right now is that he doesn't remember much. Put that aside, and you've been in this boat before... There's _always_ been the sexual tension. That's not new. So just go in there and do your thing."

Andy opened her mouth to deny it, but it was true. Even when she'd been with Luke, she was still attracted to Sam. Even when she was with Nick, she'd still loved Sam. There had always been an undeniable chemistry.

"Just act like it's any other day." Traci paused. "Or you know, I could find something else to do and you could close the blinds…?"

"Traci," Andy cried, eyes wide. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Oh please, don't even try to make it sound like that hasn't crossed your mind. I've been watching you two all morning."

Andy groaned. "Even if it had, I can't do anything about it. It would lead to too many questions, questions I'm not allowed to answer."

Traci rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you're torturing him as much as you are yourself."

* * *

It took a little while, but Sam and Andy were finally able to make some progress on the case, but the second Traci left to question a suspect, things changed again.

"He made ten calls to a Bobby Henderson," Andy said, keeping her eyes focused on the computer screen.

Sam looked up at her.

"Three of them were the day of the murder… back-to-back. No voicemail or texts…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Why did you do it?"

He quirked an eyebrow, searching her face to make sure they were on the same page. Still, he hesitated. "Come," he finally said, getting up and leaving the D's office before he could second guess himself. From the second he saw her step into the bullpen that morning, he knew it was only a matter of time before she cracked. He just hadn't expected her to last this long.

Andy hesitated, then rose and followed him. When they stopped in front of one of the observation rooms, Andy hesitated again, swallowing hard as Sam opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter first. "Uh…" Andy began, her mind racing. Then realizing she might be jumping to conclusions, she stepped into the small room. "So…?" she said as she turned back to face Sam.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked.

"Me? I'm not nervous," Andy said, shaking her head a little. "I'm fine. Totally fine."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief, stepping towards her until they were only a couple of feet apart. "Still fine?"

"Uh huh," she said, taking a deep breath as he moved even closer. "But we should… we should umm…"

Sam raised his hands to cup her face, his movements tantalizingly slow. "We should go?"

Andy nodded, blinking hard, but she couldn't seem to force herself to leave.

He inched forward a little more. "That usually requires moving, McNally."

"Yeah," she breathed, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. Why couldn't she just bolt?

When she still hadn't moved, he made up his mind. He needed to know. "So, why did I…?" Sam asked slowly, trying to get her to finish the sentence.

"Kiss me," Andy replied, automatically filling in the blank without realizing what she'd actually said or how it could be taken.

Sam smirked. Bingo. He closed the gap and kissed her, his hands shifting slightly in an effort to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. Whether consciously or not, she obliged. Her hands moved to his chest, one gripping his shirt while the other crept higher. As the intensity grew, he backed her into the table, his hand hitting her gun as it slid down to her hip. He silently cursed. They were at the station. Working. In the middle of a case. He abruptly pulled away, hard-pressed to school his features as he looked at her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to feign innocence. "That was what you wanted me to do, and not what you wanted me to know, right?"

All Andy could do was stare at him in shock, her mind reeling from his close proximity.

Upon sliding one hand down to her pulse point and feeling its rapid rhythm, he smirked. "But if you really want to know why, _this_ is why I kissed you."

She frowned, not really understanding.

"Last night, I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were okay. But the second I got close... stepped into your personal space, you reacted," Sam explained. "Like you are now."

"I'm not… I didn't…" she said, panic rising. She was so screwed. How could he know her so well when he could barely even remember her?

"No?" he said, leaning forward so his lips were inches from hers. "Then why does your breathing keep changing every time I get closer? Your grip tighter? Your eyes darker?"

"I…" Andy said, swallowing hard, her eyes flicking from his eyes to his lips and back again. She was a goner.

Sensing a change, he brushed his lips up against hers before pulling back again. She'd verbally tried to deny a lot of things since he'd come back to work, but she hadn't physically resisted him; she'd only reacted to him. Taking another calming breath, he said, "Come," before opening the observation room door again and stepping out. He could have easily stayed in there longer, but they had work to do, and whatever it was that was causing her to resist him mentally couldn't be easily be dealt with at the moment.

"Do you have a suspect?" a voice said from down the hallway.

Their eyes snapped up to find Frank staring at them.

"No," Sam replied, keeping his tone casual.

Frank frowned, his eyes flicking from Sam to Andy, where they lingered. "McNally, my office now."

Andy stiffened. He'd seen them coming out of the observation room. And her face likely wasn't hiding anything about what she was thinking or feeling.

Sam looked at her quickly before turning back to Frank. "Actually buddy, we're swamped right now, so we've gotta go," he said, putting a hand on Andy's lower back and practically forcing her to walk by their boss and back up to the D's office. He had no idea what Frank wanted with her, but she definitely didn't seem thrilled to be called out, and his gut was screaming at him to get her away from the Staff Sergeant as quickly as possible.

Andy collapsed in her chair. "Is he still looking?"

Sam glanced through the glass before looking back at her. "Yeah."

She let out a deep breath. "I'm so dead."

"I don't know McNally, you felt pretty alive to me," Sam said, enjoying the blush that was creeping into her cheeks.

* * *

Andy's mind was reeling for the rest of the shift. The observation room kiss definitely clarified that Sam wanted to kiss her again, and that he was _very_ aware of how her body reacted to him. But, knowing Frank was suspicious had her terrified. The whole point in not telling Sam anything was so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed with information, and so that it would be natural and gradual healing. If Sam kept kissing her like that… She shook the thought away. It would lead to questions – too many questions – and if she was going to play by the rules and make sure that Sam remembered on his own, then she couldn't keep doing this, no matter how much she wanted to. She had to put an end to it.

* * *

Sam stared at her from across Oliver's backyard, watching as a smile graced her face upon seeing Dov and Chloe finally arrive for the BBQ. It looked like she was about to head over to them when she was intercepted by a young man– he couldn't have been much older than mid-to-late twenties. Dark-haired. Bright-eyed. Even from a distance it was clear the guy worked out. Sam grimaced, his eyes narrowing as he watched the guy engage Andy in a conversation, gradually getting a little too close for his comfort. His fingers curled until they dug into his palms, and he found himself wanting to slam his fist into the guy's face. That feeling multiplied when the guy reached out and put a hand on Andy's arm when she laughed. For a moment, he thought she looked uncomfortable, yet, she hadn't brushed the guy's hand away. The thought made him mad. Jealousy coursed through his veins, taking him by surprise. And when the guy reached up and brushed the hair out of Andy's face, Sam lost it. He didn't care if the guy was Oliver's nephew or neighbour. The guy had to go. He moved forward a few steps, but paused, his eyes flicking left and right. The yard was full of cops. He'd be stupid to pummel the guy with this kind of audience, and he was pretty sure Andy wouldn't exactly appreciate it either. He needed a better way to deal with things. His eyes landed on Leo. "Hey buddy," he said, flagging the boy down. When Leo was by his side, he bent down and whispered in the boy's ear.

* * *

Movement somewhere to Andy's right caught her attention. She slowly turned her head, trying not to be rude to the guy she was talking to, but she was curious. When her gaze landed on Leo running in their direction, she started to smile. "Hey Le—"

The guy beside her cursed loudly.

Andy's eyes widened. All she could do was stare in shock as Leo's juice stained the man's shorts and trickled down his legs. Seconds later, her eyes snapped over to Leo. She'd seen him coming and _that_ most definitely had not been an accident.

The second the guy had vanished inside, Andy pulled Leo towards her. "Why did you do that?" she asked quietly, trying not to draw any further attention to them.

"Because Uncle Sammy said if I did it and promised not to do it again then he'd give me ten dollars," Leo said.

Her eyes scanned the yard until they landed on Sam. He was standing on the far side of the property with Oliver, seemingly engaged in a conversation, yet mere moments after she spotted him, his eyes flicked up to her and lingered there for a brief moment before returning to Oliver. "Did he say why?" Andy asked. She knew it was wrong, so wrong, but the thought that Sam was actually jealous had her heart doing a little flip. No, he hadn't said it or approached her himself, but his actions proved it. Unable to stop the smile from coming, she was forced to press her lips together in an attempt to at least partially hide it.

Leo shook his head.

"And did Uncle Sammy ask you anything else? Or did you tell him anything?"

"I said you used to bring him over a lot, and that mommy said you used to have a lot of sleepovers but that I wasn't allowed to go."

Andy's eyes widened. Her heart rate skyrocketed. "You... you told him that?"

Leo nodded.

"And?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"Then he asked me to come over here."

Andy rubbed her face. This was bad, _really_ bad. "Okay, umm... well, he was right." She swallowed hard. "Uh, so don't do that again. And umm, if Uncle Sammy asks you anymore questions, tell him you're not allowed to answer, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because… because umm…" She took a deep breath. "Because the doctor said he needs to remember things on his own, and... and when we tell him things, it's bad because... he gets confused… Soooo no matter what he says, we can't tell him things, okay?"

"Okay," Leo said quietly. "Am in trouble?"

Andy sighed. "No," she said, shaking her head. She couldn't blame him, no matter how screwed up things were. He didn't know better; he was just a kid, doing what an adult had told him to do. It was an accident. Taking another deep breath, she pulled out her phone and sent Oliver a quick text: _Gotta go. Make sure Leo doesn't go anywhere near Sam._

Oliver glanced at the text, then looked up at Sam, frowning. _You okay?_ he text back, his eyes scanning the people until they landed on her. She looked worried, but she gave him a small nod. Turning back to Sam, he said, "So how was working with McNally today?"

Sam quirked an eyebrow and shrugged. It certainly hadn't been productive and he wasn't sure whether things had been more tense before or after the observation room. His eyes shifted to Andy, watching as she headed towards the side of the house where the gate was... Was she actually leaving already? No. Seconds later, she stopped, her entire demeanour changing, but it wasn't until Nick stepped into the backyard that he realized why.

Following his friend's gaze, Oliver said, "It's his weekend off. He's still U.C."

He didn't care why Collins was back or for how long, he just wanted him as far away from Andy as possible. His eyes sought out Leo once more as his mind went to his wallet. He only had a twenty left and considering how early it was, he wasn't so sure that would be enough. And, he was definitely going to have to come up with more creative ideas or people would get suspicious. "How much money do you have lying around?"

Oliver frowned. Sam had never asked him for money. "Why?"

Sam looked over at him. "Because if she doesn't leave now, it's going to be a _very_ long and expensive night."

Oliver laughed. "What are you talking about buddy?"

"Nothing," Sam muttered, his eyes flicking back to Andy.

* * *

She stood staring at Nick in disbelief. "You're… you're done?"

Nick gave her a small smile. "Just a break."

"You're good though?"

"Yeah, I'm good Andy," Nick said, pulling her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him for a moment before stepping back. "Good," she said, biting her lip. She looked up at him for another moment before her eyes frantically searched the property.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Andy said absentmindedly, her eyes still flicking left and right. "Oh. Yeah, umm, just watch out for Leo, okay?" Seeing Nick's questioning look, Andy blushed. "Uh, Oliver's nephew was talking to me earlier and it seems Leo was bribed to... to, uh, spill his drink all over the guy." She bit down on her lower lip.

"Bribed by Swarek?" Nick asked in disbelief.

Andy nodded. "Yeah."

"So you guys haven't hooked up?" Nick said, eyebrows raised. "I'm surprised."

Andy shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't exactly the kind of conversation she wanted to be having with an ex. "Yeah, well, things are complicated, but uh..." She could hear buzzing coming from her purse. "I should..." She fell silent, trying to come up with something to say as she searched for the phone. When her fingers finally wrapped around the metal, she hastily pulled it out, and said, "I should get this." Giving Nick a weak smile, she added, "But umm, good luck with the rest of your op and... be safe."

Nick nodded, watching her go before turning back and meeting Sam's eyes. He nodded over his shoulder.

Sam frowned. Had Nick really just suggested he go after Andy? Slapping Oliver on the back and cutting his friend off mid-story, he said, "Gotta go buddy."

"But…" Oliver began, though he fell silent as his friend set down his half-finished beer and quickly made his way towards the front yard.

"Hello?" Andy said. "Uh no, umm, who is this?" She listened for a moment, frowning. "No. I'm a... I'm a friend..." There was another pause. "Why do I have his phone?... Well, umm, there was an accident. And..." Pause. "Look, if you tell me why you're calling, I can help you. But I can't let you talk to him unless you go through me first." She glanced over her shoulder before heading down the street and turning down a nearby path that would cut her walking time by about five minutes.

When Sam reached the front of the house, she was already gone. He looked up and down the street, but there was no sign of her. He stood there for another moment, his heart racing. Part of him thought he should back off and give her some space, but the other part of him was driven to go after her, find her, wrap her up in his arms and kiss her. The two extremes left him confused, but not nearly as confused as her behaviour towards him made him feel. How she'd managed to affect him so much by doing so little was beyond him, but he found himself completely wrapped up in her. And it didn't seem to matter that he didn't really understand her or fully remember her; he was drawn to her and he didn't want to see her with another guy, unless it was a friend. That much had become clear tonight. His thoughts went back to what Leo had said about sleepovers and visits. There was only one kind of sleepover that he could think of that a kid wouldn't be welcome at, and from his experience, there was very little sleep involved.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think so far. And don't worry, Nick isn't going to be a problem. (Neither will Oliver's nephew)  
Any thoughts as to what's going to happen, or what you want to happen?**

**Twitter – RB_ADI2DE**


End file.
